DropDead Gorgeous
by Zmeyette
Summary: Rose is the only one of her kind. She is ruthless and tough-Strigoi fear her. Many Moroi and dhampir are in quest to find out who she is but she's not going to let that happen. Full Summary inside. Please READ and REVIEW. rated M. CONTINUED
1. Summary

**Okay, guys, this is just a random idea I got while washing the dishes. (Hey! I help on house-hold chores, you know.) It just popped inside of my mind while I was thinking about another story I'd like to write.**

**I was first inspired by ****I-Love-Vampire (she's a creative one) in her story Different beginning to Vampire Academy DPOV****. So, without her, I think this wouldn't have been written.**

**Love lots and enjoy.**

**Summary:**

Rose Hathaway is not dhampir, Moroi, Strigoi, or human. She is something other. Rose wields all elements a Moroi has and possesses strength, intelligence and powers no other person has. She is also known in the Moroi world as the Slayer who has been delved for the last six years by the Moroi Royal Court.

Strigoi fear Rose Hathaway. And Rose Hathaway doesn't fear on anything…except her her adamant and wise mentor, Sensei Ying. Sensei Ying has raised Rose up since her mother died. He trained Rose until she was competent enough to take care of herself.

Her eighteenth birthday is coming up and Sensei Ying will be releasing her from his supervision and Rose wants to have fun. She enrolls to a secluded school in the mountains and finds what she'll value the most.

Or so she thinks.

**So…should I proceed?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**Kate**


	2. Prologue

**Hola! This is the prologue of the story. I hope you'll enjoy it more than I do.**

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**Prologue**

I was facing them. Facing fifty Strigoi – give or take a few. I bent myself into my battle stance and wandered my eyes on all the pale-skinned and red-eyed monsters. They were _my_ monsters now. When they saw me, actual fear crossed their eyes before the hunger for power overtook.

"Ah, the Rose Hathaway has decided to visit our little sanctuary." A blond Strigoi, Nathan, strode gracefully toward me with open arms. "Welcome! I hope that you had changed your mind about my offer?"

A smiled played on my lips like they usually do when I have a scheme. Whatever that scheme was, it was good.

"Yes, _Nathan_." He recoiled like he had been visibly spat at. I had a couple tricks on my sleeves at how to scare or agitate Strigoi. It was my nature. But then again – I _had_ no such nature. I was one of them. Or so my father was.

Okay, my life is complicated as it already is; can we leave it at that? Thank you.

"Where is _she_?" I imagined tearing his skin with my own bare hands – I could do it. Effortlessly. A slow smile crept to my lips and it seemed to disconcert Nathan and the whole Strigoi coven.

"Who is _she_, Slayer?" he asked and my eyes narrowed at what he had just called me. I didn't like being called that – it made me feel like I was that blond girl at TV who kills vampires as a hobby. Mine was not a hobby. It was a responsibility. An obligation that I needed to accomplish. Wipe out all Strigoi communities.

"You know who I mean, Nathan." I applied necessary venom on my voice and his eyes widened at my tone and I heard him snarl.

"Oh, my darling Rose Hathaway." He covered his snarl with a chilling laugh. "Whoever do you mean?"

That was all it took. My temper flared up to its limit like an erupting volcano.

"Oh, Nathan," I said in a sickly sweet voice.

"Yes, darling?" he turned to look at me with red eyes. Hungry ones. He was stupid enough to infuriate me. Let him have his proper punishment for doing so.

"Have you heard the quote 'pigheadedness kills the Strigoi'?" I asked and rubbed my heating hands together.

"Oh, no." he shook his head and stepped forward to me. "Why haven't I heard of it?" he was stupid enough not to listen to my warning.

"Because there is no such quote." And with that, the ball of fire in my hands flew to his body and I heard him scream. In a motion too slow for my liking, the Strigoi attacked me. Er, they _tried_ to but before they could even touch my hair with long talons of nails and fangs, I threw fire at them and they screamed and burned. Strigoi were easy to kill.

About half of the Strigoi ran to get weapons. Yes, weapons and I meant guns.

_Oh, dear heavenly Father_, I groaned silently._ This is going to get painful._

A Strigoi with a glock ran to me with inhuman speed which I fought with my own. She aimed the gun at me but before she could pull the trigger, I had kicked the gun out of her hands to the air and I caught it easily. With expertise that I had been doing for years, I unloaded the gun with one hand smoothly and replaced it with my own sliver bullets.

"You are so going to get bitch-slapped." I taunted and cracked the gun and pointed it at her. "Or rather bitch-shot." I said before pulling the pulling the trigger and hit her squarely on the heart. It was bad enough that I couldn't use my karate skills – sensei would scold me if he'd know I was using weapons instead of his perfectly trained Wu Shu.

Believe it or not, that only took me five seconds. I whirled around, arms spread and I concentrated my mind and spirit to my other element, air. I made an adequate-in-size twister enough to baffle other Strigoi that were about to shoot me with their guns. They looked at my twister and I started pulling the trigger of my new best friend – Glockie.

When I was done killing all the Strigoi about two minutes later, I checked out the tunnel. It was pretty messed up and heaps of burned and shot Strigoi bodies were everywhere. I sighed and closed my eyes, stretching my hearing to further places.

First, I heard nothing, just the quiet drift of air and dropping waters but then I heard screams. Girl screams. My eyes jerked open and I took off to where the screaming was.

"HELP ME! ANYBODY!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. One disadvantage for having great hearing ability is that every sound I hear is too loud. Eventually, I found where the screams were and boy! Were they hidden and far.

There were two Strigoi and a Moroi in the room. The princess. The Strigoi who had the princess' neck near his mouth cringed at the sight of me.

"Let her go and no one will get hurt." I said in a frighteningly calm tone.

The female Strigoi who I knew as Elena spoke. "And how will we guarantee that you will not hurt us R –" before she could say my name, I pulled Glockie's trigger shot her mouth then her heart. There, that ought to shut her up for good. Revealing my identity was _seriously _dangerous. That was why I always wear my ninja clothes and mask whenever I go hunt down Strigoi.

I heard the Moroi whimper and I suddenly felt guilty for my actions. I shouldn't have done that with her here – Moroi were fragile creatures who, like me, wield magic. Except they only have one element.

I looked at the Strigoi that held her hostage. I recognized this Strigoi from many of Nathan's encounters with me. His name was Isaiah, I remembered. And he was one aggressive Strigoi.

"Let her go, Isaiah." I ordered in a hard tone.

"What if I won't?" he snarled and tightened his hold on the Moroi's neck and she gasped for air.

"Then you will leave me no choice." I said calmly – I always had this weird effect on Strigoi. Most of them thought that every time I use that tone they were better off as dead.

"You don't have a choice either." He said and an evil glint crossed his eyes. "If you shoot me, you'll shoot her too. If you'll burn me, you'll burn her too." I hated it. He was right and I fucking hated it. I was helpless.

Nah, I'll think of something. I always do.

Okay, Isaiah is covering his own body with the Moroi's small one and if I'll shoot, the gun's bullet, somehow, is easy for a Strigoi to dodge if they were aware that they are being shot. So, mark that as an ex. Burn…is a no-no, too. Ugh, that just makes me feel worse; I should have taken sensei's illusory lessons on how to use fire without physically burning the person. Damn, as he always says "regrets come last." Stupid old Chinese man with his crappy life lessons.

That only left me with two choices. Seek help with the Moroi or…leave which was not really a possibility. I will _not_ leave until I get the princess safe.

I looked at the Moroi's eyes and saw that they were the color of pale green. They were filled with fatigue and pain and it made me more than a little helpless. Okay, option one was a no-no, too. What the hell am I supposed to do? Helpless, I sighed and sat on the damp tunnel floor in a lotus position and meditated. I know, it sounds stupid but that was what sensei always told me to do when I wasn't thinking clearly. "Push out the bad energies" as he had said. "Imagine a golden light surrounding you, wrapping its warmth around you…" I recalled his words.

"Are you just going to stand there and watch me?" I opened one eye to him and saw him looking at me like a hawk, still holding the Moroi to him. It was funny looking at him like that.

Before he could speak, we heard a loud bang, footsteps and voices.

"What the –" one started.

"Shut it, Alto." A woman said. "We don't need to hear more profanity from you."

"There is no time for bickering Celeste and Alto." Another woman's voice said her voice as hard as flint it would make me proud. "Call in guardian Belikov." Ah, guardians. I had heard many stories about them. Mostly was great stuff like risking their lives just to protect Moroi. Their devotion… _shit_.

I was so not going to get myself caught and fail sensei's trainings. I had wasted precious time. Again, another quote he says, "Time is gold." No matter how I hate his theory about life, I loved the old man like my father.

I switched my attention back to the Strigoi. He was distracted for the moment. He was looking around the place – maybe looking for an escape. I chose that second to get my silver chain, rounding it in circles on air like what people in cowboy movies do. My weapons were my own creation. I had made the plain sterling silver sensei had gotten for me and chanted some few spells to them with my magic and voilà! Instant Strigoi exterminator weapons.

"Duck, Moroi!" I screamed at the princess and she did, luckily, go stumbling away from the Strigoi's grasp.

I propelled my thick silver chain to the Strigoi's neck like what Sookie Stackhouse did in True Blood. I was fond in watching TV when sensei wasn't home – he never lets me watch TV for more than an hour. He says I'll turn into a lazy couch potato if I'll always watch them.

Isaiah gripped the tight hold of the chain as it started to emanate smoke from its wake. I was never the one who likes to see a person – even Strigoi – suffer. I quickly shot him. Once. Twice. Thrice.

Three times' the charm. Isaiah fell.

"What the fuck was that?!" the first guys shouted and I heard an audible growl.

Lucky enough for me, the tunnels were complicated to find and far. I still had time to erase the princess' memories about me. I heard them sprinting.

I turned to the princess on the floor and – damn it! – saw that she was passed out.

"This way." A slightly accented voice of a man said.

Uh-oh, I didn't give them more credit for their speed. Note for next time: don't underestimate dhampirs – they're fast, too. And smart. At least the guy with the Russian accent was. This was bad, the princess was fast asleep and it was just not possible to compel a sleeping beauty. Damn, think fast, Rose!

The footsteps were getting louder. I had no choice now. Get caught or be remembered. I chose the second one so I withdrew my chain and put Glockie on my bag within seconds. I sprinted to the nearest exit as quietly as I could. When I had found a boarded window on the tunnel, I crawled out and switched my ninja clothes to ordinary ones. It was easy considering the place was isolated. Tucking my ninja clothes inside my duffel bag, I put on my dark glasses and with the short sundress with a trench coat that hid my tattoos.

I was in a suburb in Spokane and I had to wait for a bus to pull up at those crappy benches on the side of the road. While waiting for the bus, I read the newspaper.

The headline was what caught my attention:

**TWELVE PEOPLE MISSING FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS**

I started reading what I already knew. It turned out that all the missing people on the newspaper were all sixty-nine and I knew all of those missing people were turned to Strigoi by Nathan and his crew for an absurd revolt against Moroi. For short, they wanted a war. What were they up against the whole dhampir populace when they couldn't even defeat one girl?

I sighed and leafed through the newspaper. Other news was the oil prices getting higher and other things that didn't really concern me.

A few moments later, I heard voices not so far away from where I was.

"He can't be that far." A woman said.

"He still ought to be lingering in the place." the guy with the Russian accent said.

"I am sure the Slayer likes to hang out at a place like this." the man - Alto, I remembered – said, sarcasm thick on his voice.

"Guardian Alto, if you do _not_ shut your pie-hole this instance I swear that you will –" I cringed at the violence of the threat.

I watched the newspaper as I eavesdropped on the guardians. When a minute passed, I took a look at my watch and flinched. It was way past my curfew – sensei was going to kill me. And then make me suffer. Damned old Chinese man with his damned curfews. I heard footsteps just a couple of meters away from me.

"Look – I'm glad somebody _is _here after all." Alto said and the next thing I heard was a sickening crack and I had to hide my laugh with a cough. Guardian Alto just had his nose broken. Man, sucks to be him.

"What was that for?" he asked in a pain-filled voice.

"You want a black-eye for that broken nose, Alto?" the woman threatened and her tone _really_ made me proud. She was just nearly as good as me in using menacing tones.

My shoulders slumped – what was taking a bus so long? And who were these guardian stalkers?

"I thought the roads routed here were blocked." The guy with the Russian accent said.

Ah, bullshit, Rose. Now what? Okay, just stay calm and cool. And don't you dare blush!

"Let's talk to her. I know it's risky – but we don't have a choice. Queen's order."

No, this is _so _not happening to me. I just leafed through the newspaper, my hands sweating a little. A monarch was looking for me. Shit. I was caught in a suburb where no one else was living in. Double shit.

"Come on. A question or two won't hurt." The woman said her voice blank. The three of them slowly strode toward me. In a time of crisis like this, I only had one option and I hated doing it. Better do it, Rose, I told myself.

"Excuse me, can we ask you something?" I looked up and saw that the woman guardian had forced a smile out of her lips. She looked quite pretty except that her hair was too short.

It took every ounce of my will power not to jump at them and break their necks to avoid from acting like a spoiled brat of a girl.

I forced out a horrified expression on my face and stood up, making my movements clumsy and jerky. I clutched my bag to my chest and cried out, "If you want to get my iPod, iPhone, laptop and my million dollar money, it's not with me!"

When they saw my reaction, the two of them frowned – the woman and Alto, I presumed. The third guy was stoic, just looking at me. I thought of how hot he looked. He was very tall but his eyes looked dead. They bore into mine like nails on the coffin. I shivered at his gaze and I made that as an excuse of quivering from fear.

I was glad I was wearing my glasses.

"Don't follow me!" I shouted one more time and like a petty girl, ran away. Quite randomly. I didn't know where I was going but when I saw a bus pull up, I rode.

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**So, what do you think?**

**I'll UD soon if you'll leave a purty REVIEW.**

**Love lots.**

**Kate**


	3. Busted by Sensei

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**Chapter One**

**Busted by Sensei**

I crept slowly into the front yard, not trying to wake up sensei. For such an old man, he had great hearing. I tiptoed on his Asian patio and onto the front door – grabbing my keys without a sound from my bag and flinched at the sound made when the door unlocked. Luckily, sensei was asleep because the windows were drawn and the lights were off. I opened the door and tiptoed inside slowly. I was just at the foyer when the lights turned on and pain on my neck shot through me.

I wanted to scream out but I couldn't – I was paralyzed. Sensei stood in front of my motionless body, arms across his chest. His dark eyes looking at me in disapproval. Sensei always did this paralyzing move with me when I didn't obey his rules. It was because I tend to rebel so he hits my vulnerable spot on my neck to stop me from moving. Literally.

"It's two hours past your curfew, Rosemarie." He said, his lips set into a hard, straight line. "Would you like to tell me what you had been doing outside the house that you missed your curfew?" he was mad, alright.

He knew I couldn't move or talk, he was just pouring his anger out on me.

"I am disappointed in you, Rosemarie. I thought for the last seventeen years I had taught you discipline." He didn't look mad now but he just looked sad and disappointed.

I suddenly felt guilty. I _really_ had failed sensei's training. "I knew that you were rebellious. I just don't know _how _you could disappoint me so much, Rosemarie. You are unlike your mother." At the mention of my mother, I didn't know what I wanted to do – to break a neck or to break down crying. I did neither, I was still paralyzed.

"How can I make sure that you will be impervious from harm when you turn eighteen? You are going to turn eighteen in a week, Rosemarie, and you know what I must do when it comes." He slowly shook his head.

I didn't know why sensei cared so much about me. After all, I was a monster myself. Sensei was a dhampir himself and he was trained by the best of dhampirs in Asia, unlike the European dhampirs.

"I cannot stay mad at you, Rosemarie." He said and hit my neck again, un-paralyzing me.

"I expect you do good in the next days."

I breathed in and bowed to sensei. "Thank you, sensei. Good night." I started to walk to my room when he called.

"There's dim sum and milk on the table. And take off you shoes." After that, he walked away to his room.

"Thanks." I said to nobody and hunted down for a tasty dim sum in the kitchen before catching some zees.

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**2 days later**

A knock startled me on my door. It was still two AM in dawn and I wondered what sensei wanted. I was skimming the internet for some news about missing people all over the…well, _world_ that involved Strigoi. There were specific details for knowing if they were kidnapped by Strigoi – like no traces of evidence or some sort. There were none, so far. Sensei and I had been traveling all over the globe hunting down Strigoi. We had been lured here in Washington, US for the numerous numbers of missing people – the Strigoi attacks were even beyond the ones on Europe. It was just two days ago that I had my biggest Strigoi massacre, thus far.

I quickly close my Mac Air that I got from compelling the clerk and half of the employees at a retail store. I unlocked the lock of my door by my ability to control things. I didn't abuse my powers; I only use them when it was necessary or when I was bored to death.

Sensei stepped inside my room and bowed his head.

"A friend of mine just called. Said someone in her team was missing."

"I'll go check on it." I said and sensei got out of my room. I quickly changed into my ninja suit and my mask. I quickly got out of the house and sensei was on his patio, sitting on his bamboo swing that he always liked.

"Where am I going now, sensei?" I asked. It was still night out – four hours till the sun comes up.

"It was at the same suburb in Washington." He said and a funny thought came to my mind. Sensei didn't have human friends – only dhampir and Moroi knew of him. It was funny considering that maybe the one kidnapped would be a guardian. I hoped it was that jackass Alto.

"May I ask who is this friend of yours, sensei?" I had a feeling that this assignment would be exciting. And – wait, why did they contact sensei? Did they know he had some furtive business going on?

"It was the captain of a dhampir and Moroi school's guardian. Guardian Petrov."

Not familiar. The only names I had heard were Alto, Celeste and Belikov.

"Who's the missing person?"

"Apparently, it was one of her fellow guardians. Stan Alto." Now that was a name I recognized.

I snorted out a laugh and sensei looked at me skeptically. "Alto's a jackass." Was all I said.

Sensei surprised me by cracking a small, amused smile. "I know." When he didn't say anything else, I saluted him jumped on buildings like Spiderman does – ran on the rooftops, bounded from building to building with my ninja skills and dived on every closed dumpster I could find.

Within ten minutes, I was back at the tunnel. I heard muffled grunts like someone was being gagged. I sighed quietly and made a silent entrance through the vent that was just above me. I crawled inside and my hearing got louder. I could hear someone mumbling.

"– Nathan's dead. Even Isaiah and Elena are, too. What now?" a Strigoi growled through a phone, obviously. In fact, I was now standing right behind him. Like a snake, I snapped his head without making a sound from me, only cringing at the snap his neck caused. I rotated his neck in one swift movement and tore it off with no effort on my part. I caught his phone and listened.

"It's like we have underestimated the Slayer." A woman with thick Russian accent said through the phone. It was obvious that she thought I was the Strigoi because she kept on babbling. "I'm sending you my army in your disposal. We should not draw too much attention what like Nathaniel did." She growled. "Nathaniel was foolish enough to lure the Slayer into his territory. I expect you to do better."

"That's too bad." I deepened my voice, hoping she wouldn't notice that I was a girl. Only Nathan and his crew knew me. "He's already dead. Sorry." I threw the phone to the wall and it broke into thousands of small pieces.

I heard a muffled scream. Obviously, Alto had seen everything I did and was now cowering like a gay away from me but to no avail. He was gagged and tied on his seat. I doubted he couldn't break away from that string of a rope that was tied on his hands and feet.

I sighed and un-gagged his mouth. I saw him open his mouth, readying to scream, I put back the gag before he could. He was such a coward and he swears too much.

"Are there any more Strigoi in here?" I didn't even bother to change my voice – I was, after all, going to compel him not to remember what had happened in here.

His eyes widened in surprise and he nodded meekly and I could see tears pool in his eyes. I mentally rolled my eyes and laughed.

"How many are there?" I asked him and un-gagged him.

"There were four of them." He said breathlessly. "You're a girl." He said in awe and his eyes filled with worship.

"What did you think I was? A man? Hardly." I snorted and put on the gag back on his mouth. Just for caution. He mumbled something else but I didn't hear it. I stretched out my hearing again. Soon, I picked up footsteps. Very silent footsteps. Then I heard one, short screeching noise like what they have from a walkie-talkie.

"Belikov." The voice sounded familiar with that slight Russian accent. The next mumblings were faint and low-pitched, I strained to hear it.

"Called guardian Yuan, said he'd check it out." **(A/N: If you're confused, guardian Yuan is sensei Ying's other name)**

"You mean that old Chinese?" another voice said and it wasn't so far away from me. He was one arrogant guy to say that about sensei. Hey, I know that I call sensei that but _I _had permission for doing so. I erased the thought of slapping him hard like I always did with river rocks to take his teeth off that smart mouth of his.

"He was and still is one of the best guardians in the whole globe, guardian Yuri." The woman in the walkie-talkie said. I turned back to Alto and compelled him.

I stared into his eyes and said, "You did not see me kill that Strigoi. Just tell the others you killed them by…" I thought of how a dhampir could tear a head off by bare hands. "…by something that's acceptable." He'll find a way through this situation.

Alto nodded silently and I released him from the treacherous hold of the thin rope. I really didn't understand why he hadn't been able to cut the rope by his own hands – it was barely even a rope. It looked more like a string. He's both a sissy and a jackass. What a jackpot.

After compelling Alto, I sped toward the voices. They were just at the corner and I was making no sound. I approached them slowly; with my black-on-black attire I could be barely seen. They were still far from Stan which I was glad about. I was making my escape, a quick one. I crept to where Belikov and his friend, Yuri, were. They were there, crouching and holding a silver stake in their hand with two Strigoi in front of them. The two Strigoi were obviously new and foreign. They were snarling something at each other with a different language.

It took all of my self-control not to pounce at those two Strigoi that was in front of them, who were readying to attack. The two Strigoi attacked first, and the guardians moved as defensive. The tall guardian – Belikov, I presumed – seemed like his moves were all choreographed and graceful while the other guardian was less supple yet he managed to stake his Strigoi after the very tall guardian did. I should say, I was impressed by the Belikov's reflexes. He was almost as good as me. Almost, that is.

Belikov looked fierce and ready for another battle while his friend was panting. I couldn't help but praise him.

Out loud. But before I could, he ordered Yuri to move and he'll stay in guard of the entrance. Yuri ran off to where I had been. I was on top of a wooden box, watching them through a large hole on the wall. But now, I was watching Belikov. He was alone and on guard.

I didn't bother to change my voice; I was (again), after all, going to compel him. I just wanted to voice out my appreciation that I couldn't contain.

"You're a good one." I said and stepped out from the hole and balanced myself at the pole, standing there without difficulty.

His head snapped up to where I was and I saw a small, dark gleam flash to his eyes only a second before he crouched into his fighting position like death in a cowboy duster. I nearly cracked up then and there, I was never the one who liked cowboys but I did appreciate the moves they do with their ropes.

I raised both my hands in a sign of surrender. "Whoa, hold it, cowboy." I laughed silently at my quick quip. "I come in peace."

"You're the Slayer." His voice was blank like his face.

"Yep. I am." I bounced off the pole and landed just three feet away from him.

"And you're a…_girl_." the void on his voice turned into incredulity.

"What is the problem about being a girl?" I asked and I was losing interest in telling him my praise.

"Nothing." He grunted and swung his feet to me in a round house. His legs were long enough to reach me _and_ he was fast, I didn't have time to duck away from his incoming legs so I just took hold of it and whisked it away with no more than a little effort. I should give it to him, he was fast. When I had just dodged his feet, his fists rained on me in a forty-five degree combo who I fought with my specialized cobra block. He fell to the ground and I locked his arms at his back, applying only small exertion but it was enough to make him groan in pain.

"Okay, I changed my mind. I was just about to tell you how good you were but you _suck_." I really wasn't serious about him being a sucker because no one – even Strigoi – could touch me when I was fighting. He took me by surprise and he was one hell of a fighter. A little agitated, I bent his arm and he let out another groan. He tried kicking my legs but he was too hurt to do so.

"I was not here. You will not remember me or anything that happened involving me. Understood?" I looked into his eyes intently and saw his eyes blank out. He nodded, I left.

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**A little short and boring. I'll be updating soon.**

**I promise that the next chapter will be long and exciting. ;-p  
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**Love lots.**

**Kate**


	4. Welcome to St Vladimir

**Hey! I hope you like this chappie!**

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**Chapter Two**

**Welcome to St. Vladimir's Academy**

**One week later**

**(Rose's Birthday) **

It was saddening that sensei had to let go of his custody on me. I wouldn't have to leave him if I had a choice but it was written in stone that I needed to go on my own way when I turned eighteen. Sensei was expressing his demur to this as silently as he could. He cared for me, which was for sure. If it was just the human world that wanted me to be an independent legal adult, it was easy to stay with sensei but with the whole Chinese dhampir community in scrutiny, he needed liberate me.

"Rose, it's your eighteenth birthday. What are you planning for your life without my advocacy?" he had asked me when I woke up.

I had already decided where I wanted to go. I wanted to go to school – I hadn't been to schools before.

I looked at sensei who was now grieving for his loss. "I would want to go to school, sensei." I said and nodded to myself.

"That is a good decision, Rose, but are you sure you can take care of yourself?" his face was blank but I knew sensei – he looked like a hapless old man.

"I heard they were great…" and then and idea ran to my mind. My heart skipped a beat as excitement flowed inside me. "I'd like to go to dhampir schools. Have you heard of St. Vladimir's Academy, sensei?"

The look on sensei's face was just priceless. It was a mixture of surprise, shock, sadness and more.

"Rose, I know that I don't have the custody to hold you back but that is great danger for you." He said grimly and stood up from him recliner.

"Come on, sensei. Can't you have more faith in me?" I pouted at him. "I even helped that one guardian Alto without getting caught." I hadn't told sensei about my encounter with guardian hottie-Belikov. And I was not planning on telling him. Ever. "I promise I won't get caught." I held up one hand and smiled at him in a way that was blithe and respectful.

He just looked at me for a long time, considering. I knew he couldn't contradict on what I was about to do – I was a grown up now. A legal adult, as what humans described.

He sighed, unhappy, and I knew that I had won. "Since I have no right to stop you from what you are about to do…I have to let you know that I am doing this against my better judgment, Rosemarie." He said and his shoulders slumped. I have never see sensei this down before. I felt bad for it.

"Do _not_ worry, sensei!" I shouted and shook his shoulders with both my hands, smiling widely at him. "I'm not going to do anything rash." I winked and went to pack my things.

"At least let me drive you to Montana and make sure you are settled well there, Rosemarie." He said and took his wireless telephone to call the academy.

"Sure, sure." I said and went up to my room to pack. I raced to my room and first things first. I packed my weapons (no way was I going to leave them for sensei's disposal) and put them inside my red carry-on bag to…not look so obvious that I had weaponries for killing Strigoi with me.

After that, I packed my clothes and was indecisive of bringing my ninja suit. In the end, I ended up bringing my ninja suit(s). When I was done packing my clothes, I grabbed my mother's picture from my dresser and wrapped it with a newspaper so the frame wouldn't break. And, of course, even a person like me has her gadgets – I couldn't live without my iPod, laptop and my – you guessed right – iPhone. Even with my strict sensei, I still had gadgets around the house but when sensei catches me putting too much attention to one thing and not concentrating on my training, he confiscates it. And never returns it. That was what happened to my Blackberry Curve.

In the academy, there was _nobody_ who would take _my_ stuff away from me. If they do – two words for them: watch out.

"Rosemarie," sensei knocked on the door.

"Yep?" I called from inside my closet.

"They said they'd be glad to enroll you in." he said in his stoic voice.

"That's great, sensei." I rolled my eyes. Is he just going to show his love for me just now? Huh, Chinese people were really weird.

"Are you almost done there?"

What? It still hasn't been two hours. Did he want me to go now? Oh, right, he knew that I had super speed.

"Are you in such a hurry, sensei? I'm almost done. I'm just checking if I had packed all my things." I said and zipped my carry-on luggage to a close. "Done."

"What are you going to bring?" he asked through the door.

"None of your beeswax, sensei." I heard him sigh outside the door and he strode off, muttering something in Chinese.

I had brought my bags outside to my room when I caught sight of something sparkle from the light of my lamp. I dropped my bags on the floor and saw a nice platinum locket with weird symbols written on them on my bed. I knew how to read Chinese calligraphy but the engraving on the locket was not Chinese. They looked like…alphabets that were detached out of their lines and whatever! It made my head ache to look at things that I couldn't decipher what. It was nearly the same writing that was on my ribs. I had a couple of body arts on my body. Most of them were Chinese symbols and one of them was a rose. Sensei didn't mind if I even drown myself in tattoo just as long as I could keep myself safe, sound and not sorry.

I clasped the necklace on my neck and looked at the mirror. I was surprised at how good I looked today. Not glum or acrid, just happy and excited. My hair was a color of dark brown but it could be mistaken as black at times and my skin was…not really olive but it was lighter than ordinary. My eyes were deep-set brown that tends to change their color whenever my mood changes or by my choice. Sensei had always said that my physical features came from my mom except for my eyes and hair. I was glad I had it – it was my only memorabilia from her. I had a curvy physique that always made boys around check me out. Countless boys had begged for my love – quite literally – and groveled on their knees and it made me more than a little uncomfortable.

And speaking of boys, who was that hot guy with a Russian accent back at my Strigoi massacre in Spokane? If I would pick a guy, I would love to pick him.

I was taken out from my reverie by a knock on the door.

"Rose, can I come in?" sensei asked.

"Sure, it's open." I wondered what this was all about. The door slowly opened and I saw sensei on his slacks and a button down shirt. He was holding an antique silver jewelry box in his hand.

"Oooh, that's pretty." I pointed at the jewelry box and smiled.

"Yes, it is." His tone was bleak. "This was your mother's." he handed me the jewelry box and I took it eagerly – traitor tears springing to my eyes. "She told me to give this to you on your eighteenth birthday. Before you leave."

I smiled sadly at sensei. "Don't worry sensei. We will keep in touch and I will _never_ let your training down. I swear." I told him and cradled the box to my chest. It was not really box but it was an oval-shaped jewelry box. The kind that made you think that it was owned by a monarch. On the lid of the jewelry box was one blue-eye.

"Thanks again, sensei." I started to open the lid but sensei shut it.

"Open that when I am not around." He said and hauled my bags.

* * * * *

"Are we there yet?" I knew it was a childish thing to do but I was excited to go to school. It would be my first time and sensei had already told me about St. Vladimir's Academy.

He had said that the school wasn't really into academics but more into physical training. There were only few subjects sensei said that I'd be settling my attention. If I'd get lucky, maybe I could compel my way out of that.

"Patience is virtue, Rosemarie." He said wisely. We were in the middle of nowhere! I didn't even know where we were headed. We were up the mountains and it looked a little cold outside – not that it bothers me. It was now summer but the weather in the mountains were always cold – it was a rare case when there was heat.

"Come on, sensei. We're in the middle of the woods!" as soon as I said it I caught sight of a high peak of a building.

"We're here." Sensei said lamely.

"I know." I breathed and we stopped at the gate and sensei exchanged a few words with the guard and he let us pass through. The school was…I don't know. It was old and beautiful. The buildings boasted elaborate, almost churchlike architecture, with high peaks and stone carvings. Wrought iron gates enclosed small gardens and doorways here and there. **(Quoting at VA)** Sensei drove his Camry to the small parking lot and we got out of the car. It was sunset so it was the start of vampiric day. I slept at night but I, as a hybrid (as sensei liked to call me), have no problem adjusting my sleep patterns.

I inhaled the scent of the academy and thought of how I would fit in.

I followed sensei through the entrance. We passed a few Moroi and guardians in our way to the Headmistress' office. Sensei seemed to know his way around the campus so we were silent on our way. He knocked on a door with a sign: Headmistress Ellen Kirova.

Just the name of the Headmistress gave me the creeps. I was expecting antagonism from her towards me. It was obvious that I didn't get along well with older women. I wonder why that was. Again, just my luck.

"It's open." A woman behind the door said.

Sensei opened the door and we glided inside Kirova's office like a frightening team.

"Headmistress Kirova," sensei bowed at the surprised-looking woman on the desk.

"You must be Guardian Yuan." She bowed her head and smiled a fake grin. "And _you_ must be Rosemarie Hathaway." Clearly, she did _not_ like me. I didn't like her too, so it was a fair game.

I kept my poker face on and nodded at her sharply.

"Please take a seat." Kirova gestured to the chairs in front of her. We took out seats and Headmistress I'm-the-principal-so-I-should-be-a-bitch Kirova started to talk to Sensei about my class and blah blah blah.

I had no interest to listen, so I crossed my legs and found myself wondering what will happen if I use compulsion on Kirova. Hah, that would be _so_ funny. Let's see, dance in front of the school with a chicken suit? Nah, how about run around the school naked?

"What do you think, Ms. Hathaway?" I was pulled out from my reverie when Kirova asked me something.

"Yes?" I maintained my poker face and my voice blank.

"Guardian Yuan here has said that you had dropped from your former school in China." She said a matter-of-factly.

Technically, I hadn't been able to go to school since birth. Sensei had only trained me himself.

"I would like to inquire you extra training sessions, what do you think?" It was like I had a choice.

"It's fine." I told her and took off my glasses to reveal my eyes. I saw her cringe a little and she shuffled her papers, uncomfortable. Poor Kirova. She's scared of me. Of course, why wouldn't she be? Strigoi fear me; why not her?

"Okay, classes are about to start in two hours. Here is the key to you dorm room and your schedule. I would like you to see captain of the guardians, Guardian Petrov at her office just around the corner. She'll assign a mentor for you." I didn't like the idea of having another mentor – I had grown with sensei Ying for my whole life and I loved him for that. She handed me a key and a paper with my schedule. "Welcome to St. Vladimir's Academy, Ms. Hathaway."

~*~*~*~*~*~

As soon as sensei and I reached the car, we hauled out my stuff. I was carrying my red carry-on that was holding all my trusty weapons while sensei gracefully bucked my luggage and duffle bag like a dashing young man instead of a man in his sixties.

As soon as we entered the dhampir dorm, eyes were cast on us. No, not us – me. Boys, different varieties of boys. A lot of them just stared at me – lust filling their eyes – and a couple looked like they wanted to help me and have that as an excuse to talk with me. Ugh. I tore my eyes away from the boys and…searched for girls. There were none. I guess I was the only girl in here. That explains their weird attitude.

It was bad enough that I had a room at the second floor and I had to put up with all the boys' stares. Sensei looked like he was about to punch anyone who gets too near me.

"Hi," a tall guy, about six feet, greeted me. He had red hair and too many freckles to count; he looked nice though not hot like the guardian I had met when I was in Spokane.

I nodded at him, hoping he'll just go away. I saw sensei tense up but I signaled him to cool down.

"Good morning, sir." He greeted sensei with slight a bow. Sensei nodded back.

"Can I help you with that?" the guy asked. He was a nice guy, I thought.

"Might as well help the poor old Chinese." Sensei was used to being called that by me so he didn't react but he handed my black luggage to the redhead. I heard the guy huff.

"This is heavy." He noted. "Where's you room at?" he still hasn't introduced himself.

"202. Second floor." I was very good at keeping a poker face and a blank voice so yay for me!

"Oh, that's just beside my room." He said it like it was the most amazing thing in the whole wide universe. I should say, maybe it _is_ the best thing for him – considering that there was no other dhampir girl on campus. But I was not a dhampir. Ha-ha, just his luck.

When we reached my room, sensei handed me my bags, bowed, and strode away.

"Bye, sensei." I whispered and I was sure he would hear it.

"Goodbye, Rosemarie. Take care of your self for me." he said just as quietly.

I sighed and opened the door to my room. The room was plain and small.

"Where shall I put this?" the guy asked.

"Just put it there." I pointed at the door. I looked up at him; he looked like a nice guy. "You haven't told me what your name is."

"Oh, sorry. I'm Mason Ashford." I could see guys stopping by to check me out.

"You have a really nice name." I said lamely. I heard the guys saying some things about me – it was just like they were saying them in front of my face.

"_Damn, man. She looks so hot."_

"_Let's see how Moroi royals will react if they see her."_

"_You got to be kidding me. A dhampir girl?"_ one said and I wanted to punch whoever said that – he made it sound like a scandal.

"_Yeah. She's at her room with Ashford right now."_

"_Seriously?"_ and that's when I noticed that that conversation was taking place in a phone. Ugh, I was such a freak.

"Hey," the guy, Mason, shook my shoulder lightly.

I blinked through my glasses and swallowed.

"Are you okay?" Mason asked me, putting his hand down.

"Fine." I said evasively and stepped inside my room. "Thanks for helping me." I gave him a genuine smile.

He returned me with a lopsided grin of his own.

"Glad I could help a damsel like you." He said and winked.

I snorted. "Believe it or not – I am far from being a damsel." I said and closed my door, waving to a surprised-looking Mason.

*~*~*~*~*

With the help of my speed, I had arranged my stuff in no time at all. After my magical act, I grabbed iPod, iPhone, and messenger bag and marched out of my room – avoiding the boys as much as possible – and outside the dorm with a duffle jacket in hand just not to look so conspicuous of not feeling the cool air of the Montana Mountains.

I sat on a bench just near the woods and I turned on my iPod, listening to Lady GaGa's songs while reading the news in my iPhone. I was waiting for the bell to ring, for classes to start. I was not in the mood to eat and I don't care if it makes them suspicious – they'll only think that I was anorexic.

It was my third Lady GaGa songs when I heard sets of footsteps approach my direction. I didn't look up but I lowered the volume on my iPod.

"Ooh, who's that?" a girl asked. As I could tell from her smell, she was Moroi. Royal, for sure, because of the overly expensive perfume she was wearing.

"She's sitting –" one girl started.

"– on our bench." Another girl continued. Oh, great. I was still a new girl and I had enemies now? Just my luck.

"Excuse me." someone patted my shoulder. I looked up, not taking off my sun glasses, and saw a pretty blonde girl. Well, she would have been prettier if she wasn't grimacing. "I think you're sitting on our bench." she noted and pointed one perfectly manicured finger at the bench I was sitting on.

"Is that so?" I asked and turned back to my iPhone's screen, pointedly ignoring her attempt to annoy me.

"Excuse me, are you even listening to me?" she sounded crossed and she took off the earphones on my ears. I smoothly took my earphones away from her hands and turned off my iPod. She had just antagonized me.

"No, I was listening to Lady GaGa." I gave her a taunting smirk.

She opened her mouth as if she was about to explode but she closed it and smiled a naughty smile. "Feisty bitch." Ouch, that stung my nerve. A muscle on my eye spasm-ed and my hand started heating up. If it wasn't for sensei's charmed courage bracelet, this girl would have been screaming for water by now.

"Does it have your name written on it?" I tried not to provoke either her or myself.

Her smile widened. "Actually, it has." She turned her head away from me to look at someone back at her. "_She_, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir – a very dear friend of mine – has her family's name written on it. She actually _owns_ those chairs." She pointed at a girl with familiar jade green eyes and platinum blonde hair. She looked different from the group, she seemed shy and nice. She, the princess, gave me a small smile.

"It's not really ours, Kathy." The princess said faintly. I could remember now where I had known her from. She was the one that I had rescued from the Strigoi. "We just donated it for the school."

The bitch, Kathy, looked like she was taken aback. She quickly attached her cool, arrogant face again. Her cheeks looked a little pink and her amber eyes looked as hard as stone. "Would you like to tell her to _bugger off_?" Huh? What did that mean?

The princess' eyes widened. "Oh, I can't do that. That wouldn't be polite, considering that she is new in here." The princess reasoned and I liked her for trying. She was nice, unlike her companions that were shooting daggers at me. "We could always sit on other benches." She convinced the shocked Kathy.

Kathy's mouthed into a perfect O and she gasped, putting her skinny white hand to her mouth. "But these are _ours_." She turned to the princess and I swear she looked mad.

Before the princess could defend me again, I spoke, "You know what?" I said and took my sun glasses off, exposing my hypnotic eyes. "You can take the bench." I looked at the three of them – not including the princess – and used as little compulsion as possible. Their eyes turned blank.

I grabbed my duffle jacket and put it on while I concealed my eyes again with my sun glasses again. Kathy and her gals blinked their eyes and a slight confusion crossed their eyes. Before they could say anything, I started walking away, giving the princess a small smile of thanks.

I walked toward the building where the captain of the guardians' office was. As I walked, I heard footsteps coming toward me and a smell of familiar aftershave. I looked up to see worried blue eyes looking down at me.

"Mason," I gave him a nod and a small smile. I think I knew what he was about to say.

"Did they bother you?" he asked and reached out for me.

I stepped out of his reach and shook my head. "They just told me who the donor of the benches was. No biggie." I still kept my voice blank and unreadable.

His eyes narrowed in annoyance and he looked up to where the group of girls was. "Don't worry, they always do that to every single student here who sits on that bench." He looked at me. "So, where were you going just before I barged in?" he gave me a cute lopsided grin.

"I was about go to the captain of the guardians' office." I said and started walking. He followed me. "Do you know where it is?" I asked him.

"Of course. I'll show you the way." He escorted me into a building where fully trained guardians were staying. Every time a boy, dhampir or Moroi, who looked like they were checking me out he would give them a glare.

"Why do you need to visit Guardian Petrov?" he asked. A memory suddenly occurred to me – sensei Ying had mentioned this name. No, maybe it was just a coincidence. But it was too certain to be a coincidence; sensei also had said that Guardian Petrov was a "she" and the captain of a dhampir and Moroi school.

"For extra training sessions." I kept my voice cool and utterly blank. Mason looked at me skeptically and led me to a door with – like Kirova's – a sign: Guardian Alberta Petrov. She's a she. I mentally groaned and hoped she wouldn't notice me. I didn't really like using compulsion all the time – it makes me feel like a freak.

"Here you go; Guardian Petrov's office." Mason said and jumped lightly on his heels which made him look childish. He gave me a sidelong glance. "Will I see you at breakfast?" he asked and I saw hope flash through his eyes.

I shook my head slowly as I listened to the conversation that took place inside.

"Aren't you getting breakfast?" he asked and pursed his lips.

"Already ate with sensei." I lied and nodded at him in dismissal and thanks.

"Okay… _I'll_ see you soon." He said and waved before bouncing out of the building.

I sighed quietly and looked around me – no one was around so I listened to the conversation inside.

"It has been a week since _his_ last Strigoi massacre." An awfully familiar voice said and I mentally kicked myself. And I was a bit glad that they didn't know I was a girl.

"I know." A familiar voice with that Russian accent said. "I have a feeling it would not be nice to antagonize the Slayer."

"I _know_ that. It's just been six long years and she has not been discovered. That makes her almost unstoppable." Talk about an understatement.

I heard paper shuffling and a sigh from the other side of the door.

"Won't you tell me what had happened to you arm back there, Guardian Belikov?" Petrov asked in a blank tone but I could hear the underlying curiosity there. Identifying lies were one of my talents.

"I had this while fighting with Strigoi." Belikov said and I could tell that he was holding something back.

Sensei had been teaching me psychology since I was in the age of nine so I was infamous for identifying the lies and the truth. It never bothered me, I was good at it.

"That is hard to believe." Petrov said blankly but I could feel her incredulity. Sometimes I wondered if I was an empath or some sort that could feel other people's emotions.

I heard Belikov grunt. When they stayed silent for about five seconds, I knocked at the door.

"That must be the new student." Petrov mumbled quietly. "Come in." she slipped in her professional voice.

I opened the door and stepped inside.

* * *

**What do you think?**

**Will Dimitri remember Rose from their fight?**

**Please leave a REVIEW.**

**I'll UD soon.**

**Love lots.**

**Kate**


	5. Puppy Wants to Play

**To CrunchyDoritos: Thank you for the info though I already know that sensei is Japanese – I just don't like putting xiangsheng (or whatever is the mandarin term of it) because it's too complicated to write. :)** **TY.**

**Chinese is a person, right? I don't really know everything about them. And do Chinese bow when they greet each other? I hope you have the answer.**

**NOTE: I am using my other characters on my other story here so don't get confused.**

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**Chapter 3**

**Puppy Wants to Play**

"Good morning." I greeted Guardian Petrov and Guardian Belikov – like sensei – with a bow.

"Good morning, I assume you are here to get your schedule for your extra training sessions." Petrov started and looked at the tall guardian at the corner of her room. He was sitting with one ankle across his leg – one word I could describe him was solemn.

"Yes, I am." I just stood there as broodingly as I could – not daring to show any weakness. Well, I had _no_ weakness except for sensei's beatings and paralyzing treatments. My eyes were shadowed over my dark sun glasses. Lucky enough for me, they were not the ones I had worn when they found me at Spokane.

Guardian Petrov nodded. "Guardian Belikov, would you care to do extra training sessions with Ms. –" she looked at a paper and her eyes slightly widened when she did. "– Ms. Hathaway."

Guardian Belikov looked at Guardian Petrov for a while then he nodded slightly.

"I don't mind." He said quietly.

I had a feeling that he _did_ mind. Petrov couldn't see through it so she continued.

"Since you haven't been attending trainings at your school for two years – you'll need to double-up you efforts and do well if you want to keep up with your peers so you could graduate this year." Petrov said and I could almost see the wheels spinning inside her head. She was consulting something. "Your practice sessions with Guardian Dimitri Belikov will be before and after classes, Ms. Hathaway."

Oh, Dimitri was _his_ name. I like it. Well, I love it, that's for sure. _Ugh._

"Do you have any objection to that, Ms. Hathaway?" she asked me while looking at me in an almost dubious manner. She doubted my skills – she thinks from the years I hadn't been training I was _incapable_.

Well, let's do a little impressing, shall we? I said to myself. I was certain that I was a lot better than Guardian Petrov. If I've fought with Belikov and won – then I could taker her. Of course I could take her; I could even take fifty or more Strigoi at once. Why not a single fully-trained dhampir guardian?

I shook my head. "None at all."

"Okay, good. You will be meeting with Guardian Belikov at the gym starting today after your classes." – She said, standing up and holding out her hand – "Welcome to St. Vladimir's Academy, Ms. Hathaway."

I stepped near her and shook her hand in one firm movement. I was wearing a sleeveless tunic so it revealed a couple of my tattoos. I had one on my wrist – the Chinese symbol for beauty. She caught sight of it and her brows rose just as slightly but before she could register wondering, she had already put her professional mask on. **(Tattoos pic on profile)**

"That's a nice tattoo you have there." She noted quietly and I just bowed at her – subtly ignoring her comment about the tattoo. I bowed to Dimitri Belikov, too.

"Thank you." I said and left. Before I could desert the building, I heard her say, "She looks familiar." It turned out that I could use compulsion today after all.

I sighed quietly and looked at my iPhones clock. It was still 33 minutes until my first hour of school. Might as well kill my time with Mason. I strode toward the cafeteria where he was in a fixed march that tends to weird out people around who sees me doing it. My moves were all as graceful as a ballerina's but they were also predatory, too. I didn't know what people see in me. My iPod was singing the crazy but awesome Lady GaGa's Second Time Around – I thought that this was just the only decent song she made. Once I stepped inside the cafeteria's door, the buzz of noises died out. I didn't know why they did but maybe it was because of my charisma and pizzazz.

I searched the room for a familiar face and found a freckled-face smiling widely at and waving madly at me. I acknowledged him by nodding and I went to his table where a guy with messy brown hair and a wiry build was sitting, looking at me with wide hazel eyes. I sat next to Mason's friend and gave him a friendly nod.

"You said you weren't coming for breakfast." Mason said with an exaggerated frown.

"I did. But I didn't say I'd come to the cafeteria." His friend was still staring at me and Mason motioned him for some manners by miming to shut his jaw.

Mason gave me a cute, lopsided grin. "Of course you didn't." he said and his eyes widened as if remembering something very important. "Hey, you still haven't told me what you name was." He said in a lightly accusing tone.

"I know." Was all I said.

He stared at me vaguely. "Aren't you going to tell me what your name is?" he asked and I shrugged and pointed at my shoulder. Her peered at my shoulder while he chewed on his food.

"That's a hot place for a tattoo." A voice behind me said and I tried my best to ignore what the silent message and pretended to be grateful.

"Thank you." I said stonily. I was quite thankful that I still had my sun glasses on because if they would see my eyes change color; they would certainly freak out and tell me I was Dracula or whatnot.

I saw Mason and his friend glare up at the guy who had just said that.

"Is that a rose?" an overly warm hand touched my skin and lifted the sleeve that was partially covering my rose tattoo. I wanted to snap that wrist of his and put it inside his big, fat mouth.

But instead, I shrugged his hand off my shoulder with more than a little strength.

"Yes, it is." I was likely to answer everyone's questions with vague ones to confuse them. Or make them go away but this guy was far from backing away without a fight. But still, I could feel that he was a coward and a jerk. The murmurs around confirmed that.

"Spunky. I like them feisty. We make a perfect match." That was all it took to lose both Mason and I's temper.

Mason, moving with speed that could have impressed me if I wasn't too mad, put him into a headlock. Me? I stood up from my chair with speed and stared at him through my glasses. I could feel my eyes switching from color to color. It depends on my mood. If I was too erratic, it would change from color to color until I calm myself down; it would stay in one color for about a few hours.

Now, I was angry, on the verge of losing my control, irritated, and disgusted.

It was my first time I'd seen his face but I knew of his family. He was a Zeklos. Again, distinguishing family ties were one of my many talents.

"Zeklos, right?" I said and fiddled on my glasses. I looked at Mason. "Release him." I ordered in a voice as hard as flint. Mason reluctantly let him go and got back to his seat. When he did, I took my glasses off and stared at Zeklos.

His eyes widened when he saw my eyes. I could see through the blue of his eyes that it was a cloudy shade of silver ringed with dark grey. It made me look like I was a blind person. He was likely to pee on his pants now and I could see him shake and sweat.

"Let me just get this straight." I started in my hardest tone that I had used when Strigoi confront me. I saw Zeklos take a step back – a tiny one. I could promise that he wouldn't _just_ be stepping away but he will be running for his life. "If you will ever walk in within a mile radius from me or even whip your scent in my direction –" I decided that a proper threat would suffice if he valued his legs. "– I'll promise that you'll be limping on one leg for the time I'm here." Everybody looked at me like they were hypnotized. Which they really were.

I clapped my hands loudly together it almost sounded like a thunder. It took away their glazed looks. They blinked a couple of times and confusion was written all over their faces. Then they looked at me warily.

I never had taken my glasses away for public display around other people – except for Strigoi – and make a threat. It was like my threat was delivered to all of them because they looked kind of scared of me.

Zeklos, understandably, looked like he wanted to just die and go to hell instead of being here with me.

"Zeklos." He looked at me and tried his best to hide the fear in his eyes. "Did I make myself clear?"

He nodded shakily. "Crystal clear." He said and walked off – trying hard not to bolt.

In a manner that was necessary, I rang the bell using my unusual power to control things with my mind.

"That was weird." Mason said from behind me. "So, your name's Rose?" he asked as he, his friend and I walked out of the cafeteria.

"Yes."

"Well, it's really nice to meet you then, Rose. This is my friend, Eddie Castile." He pointed at his friend.

I nodded at Eddie. "Nice to meet you." Was all I said. I wasn't saying too much today, I wanted to be the mysterious girl today then outgoing the next day.

"So, what's your first class?"

"Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques." I had already memorized my schedule.

"Really? That's our first class, too." Mason gushed and his eyes brightened in excitement.

"That's good." I tried adding more emotion to my voice – I sounded like a zombie when I didn't.

"So, where did you go to school before here?"

"China. I was only trained by my sensei the last two years I've been dropped out." I told him in a cool voice.

"You've been dropped?" both Eddie and Mason asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. I had attitude and temper problems." Well, that wasn't _really_ a lie.

"Are you kidding me?" Mason asked, his face all but showing he didn't believe that I had attitude and temper problems. "I was the one who lost it back there with Zeklos, not you."

"I have gained a lot of self-control the last two years." I said as we entered the room to our combat classes.

"Have you been fighting for the last two years?" Eddie asked, worry subtly overtaking his voice.

"I have been training with my sensei."

"Was he that old man with you?" Mason asked and I could see that he had some kind of worship over sensei. Maybe it was because sensei had carried my heavy bags without puffing or breaking a sweat.

"The one and only."

"Okay, Rose, I don't know how skilled you are in fighting but just a warning: watch out for Vladimirescu."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, raising one brow up. It was heady with boys inside the gym – or room rather. Some of them were half-naked and some were fully-clothed and sweaty. _And_ all of them turned to look at me.

"He's the best novice in the school and he tends to challenge new students with Guardian Alto." Eddie told me.

Alto, well, that wasn't such a surprise.

"And he's that guy." Mason turned my shoulder to look at the opposite side of where I was looking. My line of sight was fixed on a tall and muscular guy with shaggy blond hair. Piece of cake for me. "He is in charge of this class whenever Guardian Belikov is out. He is likely to challenge you."

I snorted. That was all I could do and I didn't say anything. Mason pointed at the girls' locker room.

"Go change there." I nodded at Eddie and Mason but a question crossed my mind. I looked back at them and asked, "Aren't there any dhampir girls in here?"

They frowned. "You're the one and only dhampir girl in this school." They said in chorus. That was weird.

I quickly changed my clothes into a blue tank top, and comfortable shorts over my cycling shorts. I didn't like the boys to get a peek. When I went out, many boys were already warming up. Many of them looked up and stare at me and I just ignored them. I still had my glasses on so they were oblivious of my glare.

"Rose! Over here!" Mason called from a door leading to a track field. "Two laps." Mason told me.

"_Only_?"

He looked at me dumb-founded-ly. "Do you run more than two laps in warm-ups?"

"Sensei makes me run around a town at least three times." I told him as we did our stretches with Eddie. I liked them already, they were good people.

We made small talk about the "ruthless" Vladimirescu while we jogged our laps. Eddie, so far, was quiet and just listened to everything I say; only giving acknowledging nods to continue. When we were done with out laps, Vladimirescu was at the door – looking at me with a forced smile on his lips. I could feel that he was, somehow, reluctant.

I felt Mason and Eddie stiffen beside me.

This was going to be one hell of a fun day. A puppy wants to play with me!

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A new student. _And _a girl." He said in a not-so genuine surprise. "It's very rare for dhampir girls train to be a guardian." He said it in a tight voice but it was unnoticeable to inexperienced ears. We were inside the gym-like room now.

"So, are you up for a fight, miss?" he asked when the whole room's eyes were cast at us. Mason and Eddie – like loyal guard dogs – stayed with me. I looked at them and took my glasses off, handing it to Mason for safe-keeping. I winked at them when they were about to bite off Vladimirescu's head.

"I'd love to," I told Vladimirescu who was smiling like the cat that ate the canary – forcibly, I might add. His brows rose when he saw my eyes.

"Nice eyes." he gave me a wink and tossed me fighting gloves. I caught it in mid-air and put it on quickly. Many eyes raising questions at my explicit agreement. They expected loss from me – well, a note for them: over my dead body.

He led me to the front of the class where a mat was.

"I heard you haven't been in school for two years so I'll take it easy on you." He told me and rubbed his gloved hand together. He looked like the kind of guy that was supposed to be helping girls by carrying their things or just generally a good guy instead of this.

"You don't have to." I told him, bowed and crouched into a battle stance and I waited for him to lunge. He hid his surprise by frowning and he crouched into the battle stance like mine. I knew what he was planning – he was on the offensive side. When he attacked, it was slow, giving me time to react properly. He lunged and I dodged his poor attempt to punch my kidney. I effortlessly dodged all his attempts to kick and punch me. I had a strategy and I knew it would be successful because he was one big guy. We didn't grapple or clashed skin but I just dodged – I was on defensive.

Finally, finding my perfect access, I snake-rolled on him – starting on his legs and taking him by surprise. I moved my body flexibly and quickly, I ended up on his back within two seconds and I wrapped my legs around his waist and locked him in a headlock.

Making pie would be harder compared to fighting with him.

"Another round?" I whispered to his ear while the boys applauded for my unexpected victory.

I heard him grunt and he nodded. We crouched into our battle stances again and I hoped this round wouldn't be as easy as the one before.

"If you fight with Strigoi, do you put them in a headlock?" he asked with a taunting smile.

"You're not a Strigoi." I said blankly.

"Then pretend I am." He said and faked lunging to the right – which I didn't react to, much to the guys' amazement – and round-housed me on the left. I didn't dodge his attacks now, I grabbed his incoming ankle and added merely an ounce of strength to lift him up the floor and twisted it in the air and I kicked his groin. I saw him suck in a huge gulp of air and his face reddened. He tried hard to ignore the pain and shock of what I just did. He took hold of his groin and gave me a funny look – I gave him a small smile. In a speed that no-one has but a fully-trained guardian, I round-kicked him on the side of his head, exposing a large amount of his strong neck, I hit it. Just like what sensei did to me without the use of pin. He didn't move.

It took almost all my will power not to laugh at his position. His hands were on his groin and his head thrown at the side which made him look like he was dancing.

Everybody was quiet. I hit Vladimirescu's heart – another vulnerable spot – and he fell. He just lay at the mat – panting and stunned from my moves. He was able to move now because I had hit another vulnerable spot, allowing his muscles to work again. All the boys were too stunned to do anything, too.

But there was a clap. Low and distinct.

Just there, at the back of the group of boys, was Stan Alto – the petty jackass. Well, what a coincidence, I wanted to say.

"Very well done, Rose Hathaway." He said and slowly walked towards me – taking his time, apparently.

"Thank you," I said in my stoic voice and bowed at the sitting Vladimirescu. He had one hand on his heart and an astounded look played on his face. But when he saw Alto, it all disappeared. Ooh, something's wrong with them.

I held out my hand to help him up but before he took my hand, I saw something flash through his eyes – a plan. And he didn't like it. Alto seemed to know about that, too. I saw Vladimirescu give a small – unnoticeable to others – nod and looked at the person behind me. I could see Alto smiling smugly through Vladimirescu's dark blue eyes.

I mentally rolled my eyes but I couldn't help doing it in person.

In slow motion, I saw Mason and Eddie from the corner of my eye stand up and they suck in some air to shout out for a warning. Their eyes were on me so I just winked at them and I saw their mouths hang open.

Vladimirescu – on the other hand – took my offered hand and pushed me to Stan that was just a meter away from me. Unsuccessfully, I might want to add. He was the one who stumbled from the force he had applied to push me. His eyes widened and I gave him a small smirk before swinging my right leg and locked it around Alto's neck efficiently when he tried to lunge at me. I pushed my left leg to jump and I twisted my body in the air which brought Stan to the ground with my ankles locked on his neck. I didn't apply the pressure to break his neck much to my dismay. Alto let out a girly scream and clutched my ankles but I just applied more pressure and he waved the white flag of surrender.

"Okay! That enough, Hathaway!" he choked out and I laughed silently when he screamed again.

I let his neck go and back-flipped a somersault to stand up. The up-side-down position made me a little light-headed and giddy. I bowed at Alto just like what I did to everyone I fought with. I still kept my cool. Everybody applauded – it was my first time to smell a quite familiar scent of aftershave in the air. It was not Mason's. And a familiar rhythm of footsteps sounded with a door opening. It was fast. I looked up at a _very_ tall and brooding man with chin-length brown hair and duster. Cowboy duster, that is. His body was calm but I could see in his dark eyes that he was anything but calm. He looked – glared, rather, at Alto who was fingering his neck like a girl. Alto was too lost on examining his neck to even notice the Russian guy just at the back of him.

Everybody else seemed to notice that, too. They were quiet as the gorgeous Russian looked at Alto.

"Guardian Alto," the Russian said sharply. His voice could cut through metal. Alto looked up in surprise. "May I know what are you doing here inside my class instead of being in your class teaching Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection?" he asked, both his hands inside his duster's pockets. He continued to glare at Alto.

"Guardian Belikov," Alto scrambled to his feet and put on a professional face. "I was just checking if everything here was alright because they were making so much of a noise, Guardian Belikov. You should –"

"Again, I ask. What are you doing here in the gym when your classroom is not near from here?" the Russian had his arms across his chest now; I could see his muscles bulge from restraint.

"I was passing through –"

"What is your problem with new students, Guardian Alto?" the gorgeous Russian cocked up one brow. It just made him look _more_ gorgeous if that was even possible.

Alto looked outraged and puffed up like a puffer fish. "You are just jealous because I had decapitated a Strigoi with my own bare hands." He said and it was enough to shock me. I couldn't believe _ripping_ out a Strigoi's head was an _acceptable_ thing. For dhampirs, anyway. "And you broke your hand fighting with them."

Alto really was one petty jackass to say those things to an angry Russian. Belikov, cool as always, ignored what he had said.

"I have known this for a while, Alto, but I chose to overlook. I hoped that you would change but who was I kidding? We're settling this down with Alberta." His words rang with clear finality. He looked at the person behind me. "You, too, Mr. Vladimirescu."

I looked at Vladimirescu and saw him nod in approval – I didn't know why but he felt and looked relieved.

"I think that is the best thing, Guardian Belikov." He said and gave me a small apologetic smile and a nod. I nodded back at him.

"And you, Ms. Hathaway," Guardian Belikov started and I looked up at him. His dark eyes smoldered into mine just for a second but it was enough to make me feel kind of girly and reckless. My mask swayed but I put it back on.

_What the fuck?_

"Will lead the class while I escort these two to Guardian Petrov's office for a small chat." He told me, giving me a meaningful look that I understood. He wanted me to take charge – he _knew_ I could handle these boys. The three of them made their way out to have a quality time with the captain of the guardians.

I looked at the boys just in front of me. There were about thirty of them – this should be easy. I clapped loudly to get their attention – that was all I could do; I didn't have a whistle like a coach has.

"Okay, guys, I just want to make some things clear." My voice reverberated inside the silent room. "If you don't do what I tell you to do, you'll get a paralyzing treatment like what I did with Vladimirescu. Am I understood?" I looked at their eyes and they were full of admiration.

"Yes, ma'am," They chorused and nodded.

"Good," I said. "Now, let's start with a meditation to take out these negative vibes inside of us." I told them and they looked at me dubiously. "So, spread out and sit in a lotus position!" I ordered in a loud, clear voice that seemed to scare a couple of them. They spread out and I showed them how to sit in a lotus position. It took time but learned how to, eventually.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chappie!**

**Tell me what you think with a REVIEW.**

**& critiques are welcome. I'll learn from them.**

**:-D  
**

**Love lots.**

**Kate**


	6. Cafeteria Madness

**My mom let me choose summer classes for Taekwondo or a new laptop – I chose summer classes but it was so unfair because she already bought me a laptop.**

***Sniff* I wanted so badly to attend Taekwondo classes.**

**I'm sorry for not updating so soon, we had our pre-finals and I couldn't use my laptop because mom's prohibiting its use during weekdays.**

**Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 4 **

**Cafeteria Madness  
**

I was still teaching the boys the basic Ninjutsu footwork. They were pretty good at it but as I said, it was still basic. I tested their strength, speed and agility by sparring with each of them. Of course, I won the spar. The boys were still rookies and I was better than a Strigoi itself so it was a little unfair to them and unfair of me. Mason and Eddie were one of the few who had taken more time fighting than necessary. I should admit, they were good – I was proud of them.

I helped Mason up from his position on the floor where I efficiently hand swept him. I guess it hurt a little for him – my adrenaline was running high and I was used to fighting with Strigoi and sensei and I didn't need to hold back my powers when I fought with them.

"You are one hell of a fighter." He stage-whispered. "I think you can even defeat Guardian Belikov."

I raised a brow and scoffed. "Hardly," I already did, I wanted to say.

I clapped my hands loudly again – I was getting used to this now. They turned their attention to me. I had two boys paralyzed at the side of the room – they were too cocky for their own good. They shouldn't have been so aggressive.

"Spread out and do your footwork." I ordered and they did. For another five minutes, they did but as the sixth minute came, they got lazy and slow. How could they fight Strigio when they were like this?

The familiar rhythm of footsteps sounded again. It was still outside and taking its time.

"Faster!" I barked and tension built up in them – they moved faster.

I heard the gym door open and close, he stayed secluded. I knew what he saw when he chuckled lowly for a while after stepping to reveal himself. He was silent as he slipped in beside me at the back of the Ninjutsu-ing boys.

"You know, Guardian Belikov, you should teach them more discipline, too." I pointed at the two boys who were motionless at the corner of the room. I looked up at him and saw a small smile playing on his lips.

"What did they do?" asked Belikov and he looked at me, emotions on his eyes were warring. It was not noticeable to others but it was obvious that he was struggling on his feelings.

"Let's just say they got on my bad side." I clapped my hands again and was surprised at how loud and thunder-like it was. The boys stopped moving and pivoted toward us.

"Let me show you something, Guardian Belikov." I told him. "Everybody, choose a partner and do what I had taught you." The boys were easy to teach considering my strict attitude. They partnered up and sparred which made me quite proud of myself and sensei's training.

"Who taught you this?" asked Belikov. His voice was stoic but my years of practicing psychology told me that he was in awe and impressed. I felt prouder than before.

"My sensei did."

"Then he is a well man, I know."

"You don't know how an understatement that is."

I heard him grunt. "Would you care to enable those two? I need to have a word or two with them." He asked and I walked slowly toward the boys who were looking for mercy. I gave them a heavy glare and I thought I saw them flinch. I took the pin away from the back of their neck and I bowed at them. As always.

"Thank you." Belikov said and motioned for the boys to follow him outside. He looked at me and pointed at his watch. "Ten minutes more." Was all he said before he walked away.

"Boys," they stopped and pivoted in my direction like what they did before. "You may go," I gestured at their closet and they strode in to them. Their deep voices filled in the silent room. They had been obedient, staying quiet as I said so a while ago.

I went inside the girls' locker room and wondered why they even had this. There weren't girl dhampirs in here, right?

I showered quickly and dried my hair with the help of my other element, air. With my speed, I was done within five minutes. I changed back to my clothes **(pic on profile)** and checked my iPhone. There were no messages or missed calls so I shoved it inside my messenger bag and put my iPod on. I quickly went out of the room and saw that a tall, big blond guy was waiting for me. He was leaning on the wall at the side of the girls' room. He looked up as he heard the door open.

He gave me a small, shy smile that pronounced the dimple on his chin.

"Hey," he ran a hand over his shaggy golden hair. "You're Rose, right?" he held out his hand to me.

I took it and shook it once. "Hathaway," I added and nodded.

"I'm Stas," he told me and ran his hands over his hair again. I could see clearly in his eyes that they were dark blue.

"Nice to meet you," I gave him half a smile and turned to walk away but he held onto my arm. I looked back at him and pointedly glared at my arm. I hoped he wouldn't notice the tattoo.

"Hey, Rose," he pursed his lips and I could see his face color up. "you must still think I'm a jerk." He said and gave me the cute puppy-dog eyes that even for a person like me; I was not immune to any of it. They still had those sick and kind of sentimental effects on me like they do on TV.

I shook my head honestly. "No, I don't think that you're a jerk."

He looked at me skeptically and raised one brow up. "Why not? I attacked you without warning. I –" I held up my hand to stop him.

"Sportsmanship – that was a fair game." Hell, yeah that was a fair game. That wasn't even a game at all.

His brows rose again and it looked like it was about to touch the hair on his forehead. He crossed his muscular arms across his chest and leaned on the wall, a thoughtful look on his face. "You know, you are too civilized for your own good in this academy."

I hid a small smile. "Years of wisdom from my sensei."

"Oh? Did he teach you those killer moves?" he asked and I nodded. I saw that Mason and Eddie were approaching, tense and ready to fight. Well, that was what it looked like to me.

"Yes, he did." I waved at Mason and Eddie to ease them and it did. Just a little. I looked back at Stas who was frowning.

"You're friends with Ashford and Castile?" he asked me.

"We're not really friends – we just met today." I only thought that Mason and Eddie were only my friendly acquaintances.

"Rose," Mason bounded up next to my and put a protective hand on my shoulder. He smiled at me and turned to Stas with a slight glare. "Vladimirescu," he nodded at Stas.

Stas nodded back. "Ashford," he said tersely.

"Where's your next class?" Mason asked, leaning close to my ear so Stas wouldn't hear.

"Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection with Guardian Alto."

"Oh," Mason said in dismay, "We have neither of those classes." Eddie was frowning and he looked at Stas intensely.

"You're going to Stan's class?" Stas asked, hope lighting up his eyes.

"Yes, I am. Is there a problem with that?"

"No problem with that." He shook his head quickly, "It's good because I happen to have that class next."

I nodded at them – clearly ignoring all of them – and walked off in my normal speed.

"We'll see you later, Rose!" Mason called out while they pushed their way through the other door.

I nodded, smiled and waved at my "friendly acquaintances."

"Hey, Rose, wait!" Stas called when I opened the gym's door. I turned back to him and saw that he was jogging toward me with a _Nike_ shoulder bag. His eyes were a bit excited and I could see he had some good news to tell.

_Ooh, please let this be a good one_, I said to myself.

"Guardian Alto's classes are on hold right now," _Thank you, Jesus or whoever who made this thing happen! I couldn't risk anybody's life right now when I'm still new here!_ "… He is being penalized for his offensive acts he _always_ does with every new student." He babbled on. I nodded and turned to leave again. And again, he held onto my arm.

"Wait, Rose," he pursed his lips and his brows pulled together. "I know that you're still mad about what I did a while ago and I don't blame you for it. I just wanted to explain myself to you that Guardian Alto was bribing with grades for –"

I raised my hand to stop him again and made a face. "I'm not mad at you, Stas." I said in sincerity and added a small hint of compulsion there. It was true; I liked Stas in spite of what he did.

"Then why are you ignoring me?" he asked, looking hurt. Only I could see through him – I was one hell of empathy.

"It's not only you I'm ignoring, Stas." Honesty rang at every word I said.

"Really?"

I held up my hand (again) as a sign of honesty. "Really,"

He smiled widely. "That's good to hear." He said and I waited for him to say something else. "SO, do you want to go to the library while we wait for the next hour?"

I half-smiled and nodded. "Lead the way,"

* * * * * *

"You know, I always notice you checking out the news."

"I don't want to lose my touch with civilization." I lied smoothly, "Don't want to lose touch to the outside world that I am already missing."

Eddie, Mason, and I almost had all the same classes together along with Stas. It was lunchtime and the three of us sat together at the place near the window. Stas had been giving me space ever since we – or rather he – had that awkward conversation that took place when we were at the library.

He had said weird and unnecessary stuffs things about himself that I just wished I hadn't heard. Like shaving the hairs on his legs out of curiosity and…_many more_.

As I had told him about one thing he had blurted out unintentionally, "It's normal to masturbate," I couldn't help but think about my words over and over again.

Did he think that my reassurance was like a peek to my own personality or was he just embarrassed? I didn't have an answer to any of those but just noting the way how his cheeks pink up when he looks at me, I guess he was embarrassed. _And_ believe it or not, he was and still is one of the popular people in school including that douche bag Zeklos, Queen Bitch Kathy, with their whole allies namely Vasilisa Dragomir – the princess – the twins Carly and Camille, Aaron, Ralf and Stas. He was the only dhampir in the "it" group and looked like he belonged. But Mason and Eddie had mentioned about a now recluse Mia Rinaldi.

Mason and Eddie had told me about the girl at the table across from us were one of the "it" group before butt a rumor had spread out around the academy that she was cheating on her boyfriend, who was that unusually big Moroi Ralf Sarcozy. The "it" group kicked her out directly and warned to the whole school that she was not to be talked to or even notice her existence.

Now, she looked like the loneliest puppy inside the cafeteria. She was clearly avoiding everybody and just concentrated on her food.

"What is she like?" they didn't need to ask who _she_ was because Mia had been the focus of our conversation.

"She's smart," Mason said and took a huge gulp on his coke. "Kind of nice but mostly smart."

I nodded and sipped at my water. I missed my dim sum and soy milk. "How long has she been a recluse?"

Mason pondered at that.

"Not so long ago. About a month or so," Eddie answered for Mason.

Whoa, a month of being a loner wasn't easy. If it was me, I would have long gone crazy from silence.

"Does she talk?"

"She does when she is asked to but don't think –"

That was all I needed to hear to make me stand up and walk towards her table. It was like everyone was watching my every move because the buzz of conversation died out as they watched me. My charisma was still effective even with my glasses on.

Mia, noticing the silence, looked up and her eyes widened as she saw me stop at her table.

"Hello," I gave her a friendly smile and took off my glasses before switching it to the milky silver that people had seen me with. "I'm Rose, you must be Mia." I held out my hand and she gingerly shook it with clammy hands. I took a seat at the chair across from her.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed as panic took over her expression and she frantically looked around.

"Joining your vigil," I said blankly, "Why, is there a problem sympathizing with you and your lost status?" I asked and leaned in to the chair and took in her features. She looked like an eleven year old – her blonde curls looked bouncy and neat and she had plump cheeks, the youth in her seemed to intensify with her flawless white skin. But what made me doubt that were her eyes, she had dark circles under those blue eyes of hers.

"Are you insane?" she hissed again and leaned close to me with alarmed eyes. "Do you know who _I _am?"

"You're Mia Rinaldi, famous recluse of St. Vladimir's Academy." I ignored her rude attitude and tried to appear nonchalant of my surrounding. Which I really was.

"And do you know why I am what I am right now?" she asked in her little girl's voice and her eyes darted up and about the room.

"No," I didn't believe in rumors. "Will you tell me why?" I asked and gazed at her, applying the charisma I had. Her eyes turned a little glazed and starry for a moment from seeing my eyes. "You can trust me,"

"Okay, I'll tell you." She sighed in adjournment.

_It wasn't like I was giving you a choice_, I wanted to say. I nodded and half-smiled.

"So…why _are_ you a recluse it's like you don't even exist?"

She looked down at her hands and I heard her swallow loudly. "I can't tell you here," she whispered. "Many people are listening and taking notes at everything I say and do."

"Don't worry," I put on my physical shield so nobody would hear us talking. "They can't hear us, I promise."

That was when I heard them, the "it" group hissing.

"What is that filthy bench-stealing bitch doing with that whore?" the loud-mouth Kathy said. I heard her chair scrape against the floor; her voice was loud enough to let everybody hear her.

That hit a nerve. A muscle on my eye spasm-ed and it took every ounce of my self-control not to burn that bright blonde Barbie wig of hers into ashes. And talking about wigs…

"She's wearing a wig, right?" I asked Mia, pointing at the Queen Bitch.

Her blonde eyebrows almost touched the top of her head from raising it. "How did you know?"

I shrugged. "It's obviously a wig. Nobody has that kind of hair unless you dye, hot oil and cellophane it every day to get that blonde perfection." I offered and I saw Mia smile – revealing two dimples on her cheeks.

"Seriously, her hair isn't that perfect." – She shook her head lightly – "How did you know?" she prompted.

My attention was brought back to the "it" group's table.

"That bitch, I am _so_ going to kill her." Kathy grumbled and stood up from her seat but the douche bag Zeklos pulled her back down before she could stomp on my bad side.

"Relax, babe," the douche bag murmured close to her ear. "You don't want to mess with her."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Kathy hissed.

"Jesse's just telling you to stop being such a bitch when it comes to _the_ Rose Hathaway." Stas warned in a grave tone.

Kathy snorted obnoxiously. "Who the hell is Rose Hath-whatever?"

_How dare she make fun of my mother's surname! Oooh, I am _so_ going to kill her_. Ironic it was, I wanted to torment her for making fun of my last name.

"She's the bench-stealing bitch." another blonde girl said.

"Obviosuly," another blonde said, too. I think they were the Conta twins. The twins rolled their eyes in what seemed to be a "funny" manner.

"Oh, Rose Hathaway…" she tapped her index finger on her chin. "I think I have heard that name before…"

"No, you did not." The princess – Vasilisa – growled and stood up from her seat. "If you want to play games again, Kathy, count me out of it." Vasilisa, looking angry, strode away with her bag and books, leaving her food half untouched.

"Whatever," Kathy waved her off.

"Sorry, but I'm out of this nuts-o plan of yours, too." Stas stood up and left the table.

"Fine, go then," Kathy looked angry now – her eyes narrowed and her face flushed slightly.

"Um, babe, I'd like to oblige you with your plan but I have plenty of homework to work on." Zeklos – Jesse – lied while slightly massaging Kathy's back. I nearly laughed out loud when I saw the stricken look on Jesse's face when Kathy let out a loud moan. She arched her back and – if I may note, disgustingly – moaned louder. I was sure that Jesse wasn't even applying that much pressure – she always overdid everything she does.

"What's more important: me or your homework?" Kathy asked and leaned close to Jesse, her boobs practically smooshed against his face.

Jesse looked up like he was silently praying for mercy. "Babe, I can't," Jesse groaned. Kathy – who was pouting prettily – climbed to Jesse's lap with her thighs on each side of his hip. Her micro mini-skirt hiked up revealing red underwear. **(Tee-hee, I am so evil.)** Jesse looked sexually horrified when Kathy grabbed his hair roughly and kissed him… ew, I didn't need to see that.

I looked back at Mia who was merely frowning.

"Does she do that all the time?" I asked Mia.

She pursed her pink lips and nodded. "She does that all the time, the school is probably used to it." She shrugged and continued – "For the last time I've counted it was almost all the boys in the academy and half the girls here." – She shivered – "She and boys think it's hot when girls kiss other girls but I just thinks it's gross and immoral." She made a face and shuddered.

I shuddered, too. Kathy's moans were getting louder and my empty stomach felt like it was about to withdraw everything it had just consumed like my soy milk and dim sum last night. I think it would look disgusting if I do it here but it's probably better if I do it in front of Kathy's face to remind her there were other people in the room that didn't appreciate any of what they were doing.

"So, will you join us?" I heard Kathy purr. I didn't dare look at them in the fear that I might puke my guts out.

"Oh, God," Jesse groaned. "Kathy, she promised me that she'll break my leg if I'll get near her again."

Kathy didn't seem to notice the _again_ there. Bile rose to my throat when I heard their wet kissing noises. This was just as bad as seeing Strigoi having sex – not that I saw any but it was close.

"And you believe that bitch's threats?" Kathy asked and I growled on my seat.

"Shit," Jesse groaned again.

"Come on, join us. She won't break your leg, I promise. And I would make it up to you. You can even drink –" that wasn't meant for anyone's ears so I pushed those thoughts away. Ugh, Queen Bitch-slash-Whore Kathy was _so_ going to pay if she ever messed with me.

"Fuck," Jesse cursed. "Tempting, I'll see you at my room. _Now_." He growled and I heard him leave.

What? Was he so that desperate to risk his own leg for a "you-know-what?" Men are gross, except for one. He was anything but gross - he was... amazing-in-a-sexy-hot-gorgeous-way-that-makes-a-Strigoi-slayer-want-to-melt-on-her-knees kind of way.

"Very good," I looked at Kathy who was now straightening up her clothes with a smug smirk on her lips. "So, are you guys in?" she asked her "band of warriors."

"Totally," the twins – Camille and Carly – chorused with a goodie clap.

"Why not," the blond guy, Aaron said.

The bulky guy named Ralf eyed Kathy warily.

"You wanna join us, Ralf?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice. I think I knew what she meant by that.

_Please don't! Have mercy on my stomach!_

"I'd rather not," _Thank God_.

If he'd said that he would agree to join a threesome, I would have been on the floor, puking out everything I had.

"But if you're offering, why not." Ralf continued. "Tonight at my room."

Kathy smiled. It was true she was smokin' hot but she just doesn't use that hotness well.

"Sure," she said and strode off – probably off to see the douche bag.

I brought back my attention to Mia.

"So, are you still going to tell me?"

I had a motive all laid out in my mind for Kathy and both of those douches who wanted to _do_ her.

She looked at her watch and cursed. "I'd like to but I need to go to the library and get something." I could tell that she wasn't lying. "If you don't mind, would you come to my room tonight? I don't know why but I just have this feeling that I could trust you." She said as she fumbled on her things.

"I think you are a good person." She told me and it was enough to touch me. She smiled and held out her hand. "It was very nice to meet you, Rose. I mean it." She shook my hand. "I hope you'll come to my room tonight so we could talk. It's at the top floor, green door – you'll never miss it." She told me and ran off like a little girl.

I smiled to myself – furthering my motives. I walked back to Eddie and Mason's table with a ghost of a smile.

"Did you think that was hot?" I asked the boys.

"Very hot," they chorused and I raised my brows slightly.

"Hey, we're guys; you can't blame us." Mason reasoned.

I smiled my man-eating smile that always captivated every man in the world I have been to. Eddie and Mason's jaws went slack as I blew them a kiss. "You haven't seen anything yet."

My plan was just plain wicked.

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**So, what do you all think? **

**I will UD soon and I promise that there will be RxD moments.**

**If you just REVIEW, I'll UD now.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate**

**P.S. Have you read my other story? If you haven't please read Young Love. It's already complete and I'm making a sequel for it. Thanks. :D  
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	7. Is That You, Rose?

**Chapter 5**

**Is That You Rose?**

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I racked my dorm room for my HD camera.

This was my life so I could have as much fun as I could get. It was still twenty minutes until another class starts so I used my speed to travel around the Moroi dorms without being seen.

I knew where Jesse's room was because it was the only room that had a heartbeat. Frantic, excited ones. I chuckled to myself and knocked on his door. He answered it right away and when he saw me, his eyes widened and I rapidly took off my glasses before he could scream bloody murder. His eyes glazed.

"I was not here and you did not see me put that camera right there and you will do many kinky and illicit stuff with Kathy." I merely told him over my shoulder as I walked away after I installed the camera on a hidden place inside his room. "Did you understand?"

"Yes," he said blankly.

"Good boy, change back to your old self and Kirova announced that there will be no classes so you'll be making love with your girlfriend non-stop, okay?"

The glazed look on his face disappeared and looked smug again. He nodded with a cocky grin.

"Have a good time," I called as I heard stiletto'ed footsteps approach. "She's here, better get ready."

Once Kathy had stepped inside Jesse's door, she started screaming. Orgasmically, that is.

I chuckled again and flew to my next class.

~~~*****~~~

It was now four-thirty in the morning (human time) and I could still hear Kathy's low moans fill Jesse's room. I didn't bother to knock at their little love nest and I quickly retrieved my camera.

Jesse did a great job – he had Kathy there tied and occupied. When she opened her eyes and saw me, she gasped.

I took my glasses off and her eyes glazed. "I was not here, okay? And please do continue showing your love to one another." I said and managed to block out the image of what they were doing. "And, oh, Kathy, don't forget your appointment with Ralf."

I had already installed my other camera at Ralf Sarcozy's room and compelled him to turn it on when the time comes. I, too, had compelled Ralf to cover up Kathy's mouth if she gets too loud, I didn't want to sleep hearing them. Kathy would be _so_ worn out tomorrow.

"See ya," I called to them and sprinted to my room with my camera in hand. I quickly turned on my red Sony Vaio and transferred the video – or rather movie to my laptop. I deleted some scenes that included me from the start and at the end. I compressed the file and burned it on a blank CD that I had with me. I was a girl scout, so what? I hid the CD for safe-keeping and brought my laptop with me to Mia's room.

"Rose! I thought you'd never come!"

"Do you think I'll let myself miss hearing this exclusive story?"

She ushered me inside to her room and I opened my laptop.

"What's in there?" she asked curiously and I shook my head.

"Before I tell you the dark secrets inside this laptop, tell me your story first."

She, if warily, told me. She had been one of the "it" group – which were the rich and famous. Her life had been perfect and complete with her best friend, Lissa – the princess. But when Kathy arrived years later, her life started falling apart piece by piece. Kathy had manipulated Lissa for power and fame – and Lissa, as naïve as she could be, was thrown at the clutches of Kathy.

One day, she had known that Lissa was seeing another guy aside from Aaron. It became the talk of the academy and Mia, protecting Lissa, lied that she was the one cheating on her boyfriend, Ralf. She was turned away from the "it" group and they made threats to anyone who ever talks to her would get a punishment.

"Punishment, my ass." I said and turned to play Kathy and Jesse's movie on my laptop.

Mia's eyes widened in shock when she heard the orgasmic screams of the evil witch Kathy.

"Oh, God," she put her hand on her gaping mouth.

Five minutes later, she screamed, "Please! Stop it! I think I'm going to throw up everything I ate if I ever hear that again!" she closed her eyes and put both her hands on her ears. I smiled; she looked like an eleven year old, seriously. I stopped the video.

"Where the hell did you get this?" she asked and pointed at my laptop.

"I got my sources," I said vaguely.

"Aw, come on, Jesse couldn't have taped this and handed it to you."

I frowned at her and shook my head. That was a secret I was never going to tell. "I know you love it." I told her slyly. "XOXO, Rose Hathaway," would have been a nice thing to add but I didn't.

"Okay, this is just way beyond crazy and fabulous and dirty. I won't ask you how you got this because I know you'll never going to tell." A knock interrupted her babble. I closed my laptop and opened the door for her.

I opened it to see a tall-ish Moroi with platinum blonde hair and jade green eyes.

"Mia, I'm so sor –" she stopped when she saw me. Her eyes widened a bit and she backed away.

"Lissa," Mia said in surprise and got up from her bed. "Oh, I didn't know y-you had a v-visitor." She stuttered and composed herself. "I'll… talk to you later." With that, the princess ran off. I suddenly felt guilty for not stopping her.

"Geez, I didn't mean to scare her off like that," I was glad that my sense of humor hasn't dried out yet. "Sorry, I should have stopped her."

Mia gave me a small, sad smile and shook her head. "It's okay, you did nothing wrong." She told me and looked behind me, gasped. I had the impression that it wasn't a pleasant thing she was about to say. "It is way past curfew." She said as she pointed at her wall clock.

I blew out a low whistle. I hadn't meant to stay for too long – I had already done too much compulsion today, no thanks to Kathy.

"I should go, I don't want the guardians to fry me like chicken." I told her and she giggled.

"As if they would," – she rolled her eyes – "I think you're even scarier than the tall guardian, Guardian Belikov."

Ooh, that name again, it gave me the jelly.

"You think?" I never thought that Dimitri Belikov was frightening but I thought that he was just well-trained, disciplined and… gorgeous. Whatever, Rose, you can have any man you want but don't choose a man seven years older than you.

"I don't think so, I know so." Mia said firmly. "Come on, I'll help you get to your dorm – the guardians believe me."

"No worries," I waved her off and pointed at her bed. "You need to rest and I can take care of myself." I gave her a wink and left with my laptop.

When I was mid-way to the dhampir dorms, I heard dried leaves crack and a familiar set of footsteps sounded out of nowhere.

I stopped on my tracks and slowly turned around. He was there, with his cowboy duster and guardian mask on. I felt a familiar sense of déjà vu – it was like the second time we met where I almost beat him up into a Russian pulp. I smelled the fragrant scent of his aftershave which unusually calmed down a couple of nerves.

"Miss Hathaway," was all he said and I could almost see him checking me out.

"Guardian Belikov," I knew that I should have just compelled him to let me go but, hell, this guy makes me do reckless stuffs like the first day we met. A part of me – the Slayer part – just died out and was replaced by someone else. Someone like a reckless and carefree teenager. He made me think about girly stuff and things that the true Rose Hathaway wouldn't do.

"You missed your training today." He said and I could hear faint disappointment in his voice.

I pursed my lips to cover out my cuss. "I'm sorry," I apologized and bowed my head – sensei had told me that bowing the head was a sincere way of apologizing.

"It's okay," I didn't hear him come close but he brushed away the dark curtain of my dark hair that covered my face. When his skin made contact with mine, it just tingled like crazy and I looked up at h8im in shock. He let go of my hair, too, looking embarrassed and surprised at his actions.

"Let me escort you to your dorm – I know a way where you can get past the matrons without being caught." He told me while he led me to a staircase at the back of the dhampir dorm. "I have the keys to this dorm because I'm on watch." He said as we climbed on the metal stairs.

"What does that mean?" I think I was flirting with a guardian. A totally gorgeous guardian, that is.

"It means that you cannot get an easy entrance to these dorms at all times because other guardians are not as considerate as me. For short, you shouldn't linger on school grounds after curfew because they will report you directly to Guardian Petrov for disciplinary issues.

I was a little touched of what he had just said. "Aw, you're just saying that you don't want to get me into trouble for ditching curfew." I was very surprised at what I just said. I was so sure that I had my emotions in check but I received a reward from that light quip. A low, rhythmic chuckle emanated from deep in his throat – it made me kind of proud of myself for gaining such a rare laugh from the perpetually stoic Dmitri Belikov.

As what Mia had said, he was scary but I only thought he was cool and kind of sweet.

"Have I caused this change of demeanor of yours?" I could see that his eyes weren't the usual blank but it was genuinely curious. He opened the door with a skeleton key.

I decided that an honest answer would suffice. "Actually, I think you did." I mused. The only person that made me feel un-Slayer like was sensei and his sermons which weren't really making me feel careless but immature. Now, Dimitri was one, too. I should have noticed it the first day we met – his gaze on me made me… feel.

He smiled and it was truly genuine. His eyes twinkled with something I couldn't understand.

"Sleep well, Rose," he told me and bowed his head.

OH MY GOD, he just called me my name and not Miss Hathaway!

I stepped inside the hallway which was the hallway near my dorm room. "Have a safe watch, Comrade." I told him and waved with my man-eating smile.

He cocked one brow up and it made my knees weak. He looked like he was about to ask something but he just smile and shook his head. "Thank you," he said and closed the door.

I didn't hear his footsteps retreat but, hey, he moved so quietly I couldn't even hear his footsteps.

I turned around to face the hallway when a question crossed my mind.

"How did he know where I stayed?"

Maybe it was just a guardian thing to do or… I loved the second option but it was impossible. I shook my head, still struck by Dimitri's smiles. When I opened the door to my room, the first thing that caught my sight was the jewelry box that sensei had given me.

Oh, I wondered what was inside there that sensei had told me to open it in my own time.

I shrugged and opened the box…

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**Sorry for the very short chapter. School here in Philippines are about to end and I need to cram hard on my exams. I promise to update next week. I hope you could understand.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate**


	8. A Shallow Box

**Finally! Exams are still about to continue this coming Tuesday so I still can't update so much.**

**I hope you'll like this chapter.**

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**Chapter six**

**A Shallow Box**

I was a bit taken aback at the adherence I needed to put on just opening a single but antique jewelry box. I didn't want to break the old thing so I added a little momentum on my part and it was pretty hard to do so. Eventually, the box cracked an inch open and I let out a sigh of relief. I could smell a faint trace of cologne from the box. It smelled nice and calming, not like Dimitri's did but it was soothing in other ways.

I opened the box further and looked at it. I was a bit surprised at how shallow everything was inside. I had been expecting a deep box with bits of secret pieces and precious stones but there was only a silver… something. It was small and it had many facets on one side of it. Blood rushed to my face – I was a bit embarrassed that I didn't know what this thing was.

I took the thing out of the box and studied it with utmost concentration. It was really not silver but it was platinum – like the locket I had found. Instinctively, I reached for the locket under my tunic and stared at it. I cocked my head to one side and looked at the platinum things back and forth. They looked like they matched or some sort but what was I going to do with this?

After a few more minutes of scrutinizing, I found a small hole just at the side of the locket. It was a key hole. I felt my eyebrows rise and I carefully stuck the key inside the key hole. It fit perfectly. Slowly and carefully, I rotated the key and the something unlocked smoothly. I could hear an audible click made by the locket.

Great, mysteries are unsolved. I opened up the locket and saw a picture. It was my mom. She looked beautiful as always. Even with the slightly blanching paper, it never ruined her beauty's perfection. I loved how her red hair form into neat division of ringlets and her eyes, they were brown but not as dark as mine. Her skin glowed as if there was a light hidden underneath them. She was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. It was such a waste that she was no longer here.

I sighed, wistful. I never experienced having a mother to take care of me and I wondered how great it would be to have one. I absently stroked her picture on the locket and frowned. It felt like my airways were clogging and my eyes burned. Ugh, no! I didn't want to cry so I closed the locket and lay down on the bed. The bed wasn't as comfortable as my last one in sensei's house but it was okay.

Thinking about what more funs I could have tomorrow, I changed my clothes and slept away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I woke up at the sound of my phone ringing. I was slightly embarrassed at my phone's ringtone because it was Fergie's "Barracuda." I groaned and blinked a few times. I could still feel that the sun was still out so classes were still hours away. I picked up my phone and answered it in mid-ring.

"Hello?" I said through my phone. And how lucky could I be if this was sensei calling.

No answer. I could just hear breathing through the phone's receiver.

"Hello, earth to caller." I said and when I didn't get an answer, I turned my phone off and went back to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Good morning to you sunshine!" I told myself on the mirror. I was in a good mood today because… um, because I was meeting someone special. And that someone special was my mentor, the gorgeous Dimitri Belikov. I dressed up in my gym clothes namely a tank top, shorts, trainers and wristbands. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and put on a small headband to keep the stray hairs out. ** (Pic on profile)**

Normally, I wouldn't have had put too much attention to what I was wearing because I didn't care a bit about clothes but I was going training with my gorgeous mentor. Things had changed in me since I met him. Well, kind of.

I looked at myself in the mirror and was again surprised that I looked good. My body was, as usual, on its curvy physique and my face was glowing and flushed a bit. What surprised me the most is because I looked… _normal_. I didn't look like a Strigoi hunter nor did I look like some loner kid that has just gained freedom.

_You just _look_ normal, you don't act like one_, I reminded myself. I could act like a normal person but it just slips away easily when I get those emotion overloads. Okay, I'll act normal, look normal, and feel normal. I didn't know how stupid that sounded to the Slayer part of me but I didn't want to be that now.

I was Rosemarie Hathaway, novice student here in St. Vladimir's Academy and _not_ the Slayer.

"I'm Rosemarie Hathaway, not the Slayer." I told myself slowly and I relaxed. I found it quite soothing to say that I was not the Slayer. I smiled my way to the gym – glasses on. When I opened the gym doors, I stepped inside slowly. I could hear a faint rustling of paper and a heartbeat. The scent of aftershave in the gym was nearly overwhelming and it took all my strength not to jump on my mentor.

He breathed in slowly and it was like I could feel his ease from here. It was really unlike his usual guardian self. Even yesterday, he didn't show this much ease with me. I was caught between leaving him here in his peaceful sanctuary or enter like I never knew he was just reading in tranquility.

I made up my mind and quietly walked to reveal myself. As soon as I caught him sprawling on the corner of the gym holding a battered Western novel, I felt my eyebrows rise. It was an impulsive thing to do whenever I was surprised. Genuinely surprised. I was not a person that was easy to surprise.

As if he sensed me, he looked up from his book and I could see his eyes traveling down the length of my body. Checking me out. It was hardly noticeable to the untrained eye but it was practically obvious to me. I ignored how the way his gaze on me sent tingles all over my body and walked to a bleacher and put down my bag.

"Guardian Belikov," I greeted him with a nod, which was unusual for me. He was now standing and it was the first time I noticed that he was not wearing his long leather coat but he was there, standing with a black tank top and fleece pants on. The muscles on his arms were _very_ nice to look at and his shoulders were… I don't know, I don't have the words to describe them. They were too good for words.

"Miss Hathaway," he nodded back at me.

_Back to formalities again?_ I was kind of disappointed the connection we – or rather I – had found yesterday was nonexistent now. Or maybe that was just what I thought.

We did our warm-ups and he ran with me in my ten laps. He didn't say anything but I could feel his eyes on me. I ignored the warm, tingly feeling his gaze made and just continued jogging.

Finally! "You're quiet today," he observed as we made our way inside the gym. _No shit, Sherlock! You were the one who was being all formal today! Oh, wait, maybe I kind of formal today too._

"I don't want to ruin your good mood today by babbling away. It may weird you out and you will move out of the academy and I will never see you again." I joked but I put on a serious face.

The look on his face was just priceless. It was a little confused, amused, and many more things. "What do you mean?"

"If you'd hear me talk so much, you'd be gouging your eyes out in boredom."

"Why do you say that?" Did he always question people like he had no idea what they were talking about? I think he knew what I was talking about but he was just playing stupid.

"Did you know that Siberia has the most number of Strigoi?" I changed the subject by that. Again, the confused look on his face came back. And then something flashed there just for a second. I didn't know what it was but I had a feeling that it was not good.

"Yes, I know that. Most Strigoi have their headquarters there." I was surprised that he was telling me this stuff. He looked at me in a way that could make someone cower away. "How do you know these things?"

I shrugged, hiding my unease in feign nonchalance. "It's pretty obvious," was all I said.

He exhaled loudly and I saw his forehead crumple and frustration was held back on his face and eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have –"

"It's okay," I cut him off and gave him a convincing smile. When he looked at my eyes, questions played out silently again.

"Were you wearing contact lenses yesterday?" he asked and he showed me the weights and reps he wanted me to do.

I nearly scratched my eyes out. I didn't quite remember that I had silver eyes yesterday a while ago when I was in front of the mirror and that just added more to my recklessness. Sensei was right; they _really_ do get suspicious here. _And _I was pretty careless.

"Yeah," I did the weights and he leaned on the wall, a puzzled look on his face. I ignored him and did my weights and reps. When I was done; he walked toward me with a towel on his hand. He didn't hand it to me as I had expected but he – yes, he wiped it on my face. Softly and carefully. Oh, God, what was happening? I was a little embarrassed because _he_ was wiping _my_ sweat away and I didn't want to gross him out by that.

The moment was a little awkward but just his touch made me feel more alive than ever. He carefully moved the towel down on my neck and wiped it with a flourish. He did the same on my back, not taking his eyes away from mine as he did so. When he was done, he held the towel in one hand and stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers. I almost fainted then and there.

His eyes were so full of intensity that it was almost melting me.

"So young yet so beautiful and wise," he murmured to me and that genuine smile appeared. It was like the world rested on that small smile. I wanted to fly away and carry him with me but I just stayed there, staring back at him. His eyes were so dark, so beautiful, so… caring. My heart started to beat faster and faster.

"The wisdom came from my sensei's lessons and the beauty comes from my mom." I told him just to make him laugh. It always made me feel so, so happy to hear it.

He didn't laugh but he just smiled wider, stepping back and gestured to the mat where we would spar.

"Care to spar?" he asked almost tauntingly.

"I'd love to." I said and put on the gloves he gave me.

As soon as we were on the mat, we crouched and I could feel that he was a little wary. I almost laughed out loud at that. He shouldn't be afraid of me, I would never hurt him. But then again, he saw me beat up almost all senior novices in the academy yesterday so he should be.

With speed that impressed me, he rounded around me and made a swift blow on my stomach but I blocked it easily. The look on his eyes was upraising. It made me giddy. When he attacked me again, I all but dodged them, already knowing his moves. Then comprehension crossed my mind. Back at Spokane, he had given me a few bruises with his blows but today…

"You're holding back," I told him and glared.

His guardian mask was on so the surprised there could barely be seen.

"You don't have to hold back, you know." I told him before he could utter out a word. To my total surprise, he did what I told him to do. I didn't see his feet coming toward the side of my head in a very quick and long-legged roundhouse. I tripped on my balance a little but I gained it back within a second.

With that single element of surprise, he was able to distract me just for a second or two. He was oh so fast and it took a little bit more effort to avoid his blows and kicks. I didn't want to use my full strength and speed because it would be unfair for him and unfair of me. I held back the soaring part of me and fought him with adequate strength and speed that nearly matched his own. We were too well-matched and he almost knew all my moves. In this kind of situation, sensei had told me about one thing. They were only for emergencies but I wanted to prove myself to Dimitri that I could fight without adding more strength than necessary. As I had anticipated, his fists rained on me like what he did back at Spokane. And again, I blocked it with my quick and slightly painful cobra block.

The arms that was on my hold gathered its strength and managed to wriggle out but I put up a fight. Eventually, he called in draw. It was a tie.

"How did you know those moves? The last one," he asked me a while later.

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance again. "My sensei had taught me many moves."

He mused, "The way you did it…" – an odd look crossed his face – "…reminds me of something." With that, he closed his open doors again. He put back on his guardian mask and turned formal. I didn't know anyone could be so erratic. "We'll continue our training this afternoon. I'll see you at class, Miss Hathaway."

Way to go for your compliments, Comrade.

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**So, what do you think? I'll UD soon.**

**Leave a REVIEW.**

**XOXO**

**Kate**


	9. Objective: Annoy Rose Hathaway

**My mom's cooking **_**delisyoso-lami**_** cupcakes! Life is good when it has something to offer you.**

**LOL.**

**ENJOY! :D**

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**Chapter Seven**

**Objective: Annoy Rose Hathaway**

I could hear snickers all over the place. Some were nervous laughs but majority were amused or whatnot. I knew what they were laughing about. They (the "it group) had placed a bucket of water at the top of the door before class started. I know how you must think how other "innocent" people could get inside without getting wet; it was because _somebody _was using their magic. It wasn't really a taboo to use the elements in public (and by public, it means in the academy ONLY) but it was prohibited to do harm on other people. Many times, Moroi tried to outlaw using magic but that wasn't possible.

Okay, back on my situation: would I walk in the class wet? Not no but HELL NO.

Giving myself time to plan things out, I stayed on the corridor for a while, listening to whispers of the "it" group's plan. Not so surprisingly, only the Conta twins and Kathy was there to witness my embarrassing moment or _supposed _embarrassing moment, I might correct.

Kathy, the wig-wearing blonde bitch, was the one who was going to use her magic to control the water on top of the door. I knew what that meant – Kathy only had little potential on her magic so I'd be able to counter that, and blow the water away from me and then to her precious shoes. I knew it was not enough of a punishment for her but she ignored the warnings her cliques had directed to her before.

I walked again, toward the room and saw the Conta twins hide their dainty-evil laughs behind their slim white hands. They giggled like crazy evil little girls. Yes, they acted like those too, they were immature. Very immature.

I pointedly ignored them and caught the sight of Kathy smirking smugly – if not tiredly – at the opposite wall with her phone's video on.

"YouTube, anyone?" she snickered to the twins and they laughed a little harder, sarcastic.

With that, I opened the door with more force than necessary just to make my execution of her brand-new snakeskin heels not so obvious on my part. Kathy's magic was too weak against mine so it didn't even take that much concentration from me.

I heard water splash and the last thing I heard before I closed the door behind was, "My Jimmy Choos!"

I really hoped she caught that on video.

~~~*****~~~

More pranks were attempted that day and it got a little tedious for my liking. Aaron was the last one to pull up a prank and believe me, it was the _lamest_ thing I'd ever seen in my whole entire Strigoi-killing or non-Strigoi-killing life.

It was our Biology class – I found this class a bit interesting – and guess what? There was a frog on my lab table. A big, fearless looking one. It just sat there at my table, croaking and staring off into space. I laughed silently and picked up the huge toad from my table.

Again, one of my many "talents," were controlling minds. Even on animals. I didn't really find this ability useful and I only tried this once. On worms. I didn't know back then that worms had their own brains but I could care less.

Sensei once had a cute bonsai in his botanic garden and gave it to me. He had said that learning how to take care and grow plants was one way to extend and control one's patience. Naturally, I just would have let the plant grow by my element, earth, but sensei – being the wise and uncanny man that he was – used some sort of weird voodoo magic on the plant to close off any magic attempted to it. Feeling useless and hot-tempered, I got myself a handful of live worms from sensei's garden and put them on the small bonsai. I know that it sounded so stupid to use compulsion on the brainless worms but it was worth it.

Or so I thought it was worth it. It turned out that bonsai were sensitive plants and it needed to be taken care of properly. The Zen there from sensei was: do not put too much nutriment on one thing because in the end, it could be banal.

The memory was kind of funny and I found myself cracking a small smile. The toad jumped out of my hands and hopped to Aaron's bag.

I sighed and relaxed on my seat. I chuckled when I heard a girl-guy scream and a croaking frog.

"Get it away from me!"

~~~*****~~~

The day – or hours rather – passed by like watching a turtle crawl a mile. Numerous pranks were attempted today but I nearly found myself in the brink of laughing my ass off. Once I had gone inside Dimitri's class, I almost lost my calm composure from my earlier encounter with the wig-wearing blonde bitch. Kathy, tired of getting her magic knocking back at her, literally spat at me. It was good that she had spat at me while we were outside on the windy night because it would have been suspicious that her own spit landed on her own face.

She screamed bloody murder at me but I retreated fast. High school life was getting more unpredictable by the second.

"Today, I'll be teaching all of you how to fight with multiple attackers –" blah blah blah, Dimitri went on. I wasn't actually listening to him but I was looking at his lips. Its color and the way it moved when he spoke with that faint Russian accent. How kissable it looked…

"Miss Hathaway?" those words formed on his lips.

I was taken away from my reverie by Mason's nudge.

I just realized that I was staring at him with my cheek on my palm – picture of wistful wonder. I blinked my eyes and came back into reality.

"Yes?" I asked, raising my head away from my hand.

"Would you care to demonstrate on how to fight with multiple attackers?" he asked me, still keeping up his guardian façade.

"Sure," I bounced up from my place on the floor and walked to where he gestured that I will be fighting three "Strigoi."

The three "Strigoi" were, unfortunately, all novices. They were Stas, Mason and Eddie. I applied the fighting lessons my sensei had taught me before and they practically dropped on their knees after the demo.

The class turned boring until the boys started to take their shirts off. Don't get me wrong, I just _loved_ the Russian who was my mentor but still, I was a so-called teenager and I had these weird "hormonal imbalances." I was still new to these things so pardon me. AND if you ask if that involved the gorgeous Russian that was my mentor that was instructing me on how to use the weights again, the answer is an absolute YES. I haven't been so distracted in my entire life. I could see that he was telling me something but I couldn't get myself to listen or even _try_ to listen. Everything around me blurred out and angels started singing and strumming their harps. His back was to me now and I could see the muscles on his back ripple while he heaved on the barbell with mouthed counts.

"Here," he turned back to me and he had sweat all over his body. I expected for firecrackers to explode but none did. Instead, everything went back to normal. No more angels were singing nor were there harps playing. I heard the grunts boys made while they lifted the weights and some heavy breathing.

It took me a second to grasp the concept that Dimitri was in front of me, holding out a fully-loaded barbell. Well, sun of a gun.

"Show me how many you can get." He said and I could see the muscles on his chest move. Focus, Rose!

Before I started drooling, I took the slightly heavy barbell and lifted, counting. I could have done this forever but it wouldn't go unnoticed by the Russian and all of the boys in the gym. I could feel all eyes were on me and I had a very little thought that Dimitri was letting me lift all this weight just to watch me. I almost wiggled at that thought but I dismissed it, telling myself that it was only the hormones that were making me this way.

I stopped now, making my breathing a little hard than necessary. I didn't need to show off more, right? I had enough to show yesterday to let them know what would come to them when they mess with me. I didn't know what number I stopped but it rendered them to freaking silence. I looked around me and saw that most of them had _almost_ had their eyes bugging out.

"What?" I asked them. "See something you like?" Attitude, that always saved me from the reactions they were about to let out. Most of the boys smiled like they _did_ see something they like but the Russian just wouldn't budge.

"You got forty-eight, Miss Hathaway." He said, ignoring my little note. "That was outstanding." He sounded like he was astonished now but even I could barely hear that emotion on his voice. I tried to recall how many he had gotten before but I haven't been paying attention to his counts at all.

I put down the barbell and shifted from foot to foot. It was weird that everybody, even Dimitri, stayed quiet.

"That's good," Way to go being careful around the dhmapirs, Rose. To avoid possible interrogation, I let the bell ring with necessity. When it did, I could hear everybody start to breathe again.

I avoided all the boys and showered, dried myself, and changed back to my clothes before running off to Alto's class, ignoring the calls from some of the boys inside.

~~~*****~~~

_Damn that Russian, damn him!_ I cursed silently over and over again. I _knew_ he was suspicious but I couldn't bring myself to compel him _again_. Just… damn him!

I smiled at Mason and Eddie on my way to Mia's table and the look they gave me, it convinced me that they didn't find my over-work-out during combat class bizarre. I nodded at them and sat across Mia's seat. She looked up and she didn't seem too surprised.

"I thought you'd come." She said quietly and picked one yogurt from her tray and slid it to me. "Without anything to eat." She added while she swept away the curls away from her face.

I frowned at the yogurt then at her.

"I'm already fat enough," I excused.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, incredulous. "You're almost as skinny as Paris Hilton!" she squeaked and she looked bummed at the moment.

I raised one brow at her, surely she could be kidding. I had only seen Paris Hilton once in TV and she looked like a corpse. "I don't think I'm that skinny." _Bony_, I wanted to correct.

She shook her head, making her curls fly. "Okay, that was a bad analogy but still, I need to convince you to eat so you won't die either starvation or Kathy's horseplay." I almost snorted at what she said. Horseplay? Who the hell were they to do that to me? Or anybody? I don't think they had the guts to do that.

"About that…" I trailed off, putting a finger on my lower lip.

I heard Mia gasp. "Yeah, about that." She stood up sharply from her seat and that was when I heard it.

I couldn't believe that I didn't hear that before but maybe this school was making me powerless. Loud, quick clicking of heels was approaching like a predator ready to attack its prey.

Unluckily enough, the predator was the wig-wearing blonde bitch, Kathy, and Mia and I were her supposed "unsuspecting" prey.

I suppressed a yawn and stood up from my seat. I saw that Kathy was there, charging like a rhinoceros with a cup of dark espresso in hand. I guess that she needed caffeine to boost her up from her recent mid-day and night acts.

The Conta twins were on her heels, scowls on their pretty faces. Kathy was another though – her face was flushed in anger it was almost dark red, which was rare for Moroi like her, and her make-up was a little smeared.

I put myself in front of Mia when Kathy was just a few feet from us.

"Let's see what you two bitches can do with this!" Kathy shrieked and without warning, tossed the contents of her espresso toward us. With deliberated slow motion for me, Mia pushed me away, sacrificing her owns clothes for mine but I pulled her with me, avoiding the dark liquid.

We watched where the dark caffeinated liquid landed and it was bad enough that Kathy pulled that off on me. I would have done something to prevent such a thing to happen but that meant using my super speed but now, I couldn't afford more suspicion. So, I just let what happened happen.

The dark espresso flied and landed on an ivory sweater.

I looked up to see whose sweater it was.

_Uh-oh_.

Onto Princess Vasilisa's ivory sweater, that is.

_In your face, Kathy._

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**CLIFFIE!**

**More fun at the following chapters. Already written on my notebook but I still have to type them so it needs time. Tee-hee, I hope y'all could understand.**

**UD tomorrow.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate**


	10. Food Fight: A One Way Friendship Train

**Hey guys! As promised, the next chapter!**

**Enjoy! :D**

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**Chapter Eight**

**Food Fight Is a One-way Friendship Train**

Shock. That was the only expression on everyone's faces inside the cafeteria. I mirrored their expression too but it was only for a second. I regained my peace of mind and grabbed a handful of table napkins from a random table and handed it to the princess. The sight of me seemed to bring her back into reality because her green eyes glittered in not-so mild anger. Then there – I let what happened happen again.

The princess grabbed the uneaten yogurt Mia had given me and tossed the mushy thing on Kathy's face. Kathy's previously shocked face turned irritated and yogurt-filled. A second passed and another thing was dumped on Kathy's very low-cut shirt.

She let out a shriek and glowered at Mia with hard tawny eyes.

"Oh, it is on." She said and started to pick up plateful of lasagna from somebody's table but before she could dump it on Mia's face, thick red-hot sauce dripped down her perfect blonde wig. I saw and was pretty surprised to see that it was Mason who poured that on her. The Conta twins just stared at their mistress but I was sure they were ready to bolt at any minute right now.

Mason caught my eye and he just winked.

And I got his message.

No. This. Was. Not. Happening.

"Food fight!" he declared and that single shout woke everybody up. Most of the dhampirs started to throw all kinds of food randomly, laughing and bickering. While the dhampirs played along, the Moroi cowered away and sought for shelter on their trays or the bottom of their tables.

Within the maddening chaos, I almost got hit by a flying egg (whole egg) in the face but I managed to dodge it before it started to fry on my face. Dhampirs were having fun throwing food and it looked like they had two victims/targets namely, Kathy and Mason. I chuckled and dove away from incoming edible materials.

In the midst of all the food chaos, I found an appealing looking _fork_. I looked back at Kathy's food-clad form and a mischievous smile crept slowly to my lips like The Cheshire Cat of Alice in Wonderland. I picked up the fork and expertly threw it to the tip-top of Kathy's blonde wig and I made sure there was nobody at her back; I couldn't risk a life for a wig. When I served the fork, her wig went flying off of her head.

She noticed the absence of the wig and frantically touched her head where her alleged hair was supposed to be. She gave a shriek again and ducked and covered her hair with her arms. I nearly lost my composure then and there when I saw her _true_ hair. It was short, pure frizzy and carrot-orange in color. I always thought that red hair was beautiful but she put my mother's hair color's beauty to shame just seeing hers now. It was pure vegetable carrot orange with smears of white blond like Mr. Humphries's hair in the Ancient Ram Inn. I understood why she covered that mane; it was more than a little embarrassing. Well, she could have put some medication on her hair but it looked like it had been kind of overdosed from them.

"Rose!" I heard Mason call. I looked around and saw that he was food-clad too. I couldn't help but laugh, he looked like he was having the time of his life. "Catch!" I could see that he was throwing me a very big and rotten tomato. Ew. I caught the rotten tomato easily and, again, Mason winked.

The mischievous smile that I always give out whenever I had a scheme played on my lips. I narrowed my eyes and zeroed down on my target. I threw it with strong deliberateness but I knew that the tomato was too rotten to cause her pain. I looked with satisfaction as the beet red of the rotten tomato spread on her orange hair. Her skinny form couldn't hold her and she tumbled from the impact I made even though it was just enough to sweep off a leaf. For me, that is.

She screamed, touched her head and smelled the rotten tomato on her fingers. I saw her face turn a little green but she looked around until her amber eyes laded on me.

I covered my laugh and she hissed at me, baring her fangs and crawled to me like an insane baby. I almost lost myself laughing at what she was doing but somebody grabbed me from behind.

It was the princess and Mia. It looked like nothing had happened before because they were smiling madly at me.

"Come on, Rose! We have to get out of here!" Mia cried and tugged on me harder.

"Yeah, Rose!" the princess laughed and her eyes twinkled in humor. "I don't want to get my _hair_ messed up!"

"I think I want to stay." I told them.

They shook their heads at me. "You don't want to get in trouble! Everyone caught inside the cafeteria during a food fight gets to clean the place up and gets detention for three days!" Mia cried again and she tried hard not to burst out laughing again.

"So we have to get away from here now and hide!" the princess yelled.

The idea of cleaning up the cafeteria after the fun was not appealing so I, along with Mia and the Princess, retreated from the hostile territory as fast as we could. But before we were completely out of the cafeteria, I caught a very clear sight of a very tall Russian in a cowboy duster on the other side of the cafeteria's door, looking inanely strict.

The girls giggled quietly when they heard the guardians busting up the food fight. Good luck to Mason and Eddie inside. We were outside now, in the safety of the woods and from my hearing, there were Moroi who were able to escape from the cafeteria. They were royals. With my vision, I could see that Jesse was there, running toward the trees' shelter too with his friend-slash-rival Ralf, Aaron and the only dhampir, Stas. The twins were nowhere to be found. I chuckled to myself when I intentionally controlled one of the tree's roots to block Jesse's foot. Jesse stumbled and I could hear an audible sound of bones slightly going amiss from their proper places. He let out a girly shriek. Ugh, royals suck face. There, he messed with me, he got my promise. He'll be limping for the rest of year.

"Where are we supposed to go?" the princess asked. They hadn't noticed the other Moroi. I was the only one who could see them with my hawk-like vision and great hearing abilities. I was a good kind of freak of nature. Er, deviant, I mean.

"The Moroi dorms are too far from here…" Mia realized with a frown. "The guardians are supposed to be scanning the front doors of the novice dorms now, too."

"Only at the front?" I asked Mia and both girls nodded. "I got a way." I quietly led them to the back metal stairs where Dimitri had led me to last night.

"How did you find this?" the princess asked, a little dumbfounded.

"Last night. I had to sneak around the dorm so I wouldn't get caught." I lied smoothly.

"Oh," the princess said, appearing to have remembered what happened last night.

Slowly and quietly, we made our way up the stairs. They cringed at every creak the old metal staircase made. When we were up to my floor's doorway, I slowly listened inside. There were guardians checking the hallway inside. When they found no students, they retreated.

When I was sure that nobody was around the dorm, I unlocked the door with my picking-on-the-door ability and, "Coast is clear," I opened the door and we went straight to my room, not wanting to risk any chances of getting caught. They sighed in relief when we were inside the safety of my room.

My room smelled of faint incense but I wish they wouldn't notice it. I had been meditating after I got that weird call last night. The princess and Mia were a bit surprised to see my room so fixed and neat.

"Nice," Mia breathed. They sat down on my bed.

"You should change your clothes, princess." I told the princess, pointing at her shirt.

"It's Lissa…" the princess said. "…and I don't want to be a bother." She gave me a small smile.

"Not in the least… Lissa." I said and started to pick some clothes similar to hers. Lucky enough for her, I had some Stella McCartney's with me. I let her pick between an ivory silk blouse close to her sweater or a comfortable top. She chose the silk blouse, of course. When Lissa was done changing her clothes, she gave me a grateful look.

"Thank you, Rose." She told me and without warning, she ran and hugged me. "I hope you would forgive me for what I did last night. I shouldn't have been so abrupt in leaving." She slightly pulled back and turned to face Mia. "Sorry, Mimi," Lissa apologized. PMS alert! Mia's eyes brightened with tears and she ran to us and hugged us. "I was just surprised and I'm embarrassed to say that maybe you were replacing me." Lissa said while I awkwardly hugged them back.

"It's okay, Lissa. There's nothing to forgive anyway." Mia told Lissa and they hugged tighter, including me. "Whatever happens, you're still my best friend." I didn't know what I felt but it was a mixture of a little jealously and something else. PMS again.

"Thank you, Rose." Lissa thanked me and hugged tighter, making it a little hard to breathe.

"What for?"

"Without you, me and Mia's friendship wouldn't be reconciled." She told me as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course, thank you that you're here too. We're best friends from now on." She announced and I couldn't help but feel happy and excited about that.

"Really?" I asked, not believing that I had a best friend now. Two of them, for sure.

"Really Rose." Mia and Lissa said in unison and they started to laugh.

"Gee, thanks." I gave them a meek smile.

"Is it time for the secret revelation?" Mia asked.

_What kind of friendship was this_? _And what secret? Is this some kind of weird things best friends talk about?_

"What does that mean?" I asked them.

Lissa gave me a small smile like she was making me understand something.

"Play along," Lissa sang and I could see understanding glint in her eyes but she was still a little confused. Huh, muddled emotions are sucky.

So there, I played along and Mia and Lissa talked. I was just content to listen to them. They were _my_ friends. High school life was fascinating.

~~~*****~~~

I came to Dimitri's class practically sprinting. I got inside a little noisily than normal and it reminded me of one of sensei's trainings when I was out killing Strigoi and I had been late and you probably all know what happened next.

Dimitri didn't notice my entrance though. He was busy talking through his phone and the conversation took place in Russian. I felt a little guilty for eavesdropping but it was nothing. I couldn't understand what they were saying except for some basic words like _nyet_, _dah_, and whatever. I think that it was the most complicated language in the whole wide world next to German. The only straight phrase I learned was "on your knees" but they sounded more suitable for police men or robbers than a Stirgoi hunter. Words didn't do much against Strigoi.

The conversation on the phone sounded tense and urgent. I wondered if anyone could even talk that way without spitting about half a gallon of saliva out of their Russian mouth. No pun intended. I could hear Dimitri's pace stop. This was something _not_ good. I told myself to walk away but my legs wouldn't obey me. Instead of walking away, I found myself stretching out my hearing until I could hear Dimitri's heartbeat pick up. There was a man on the phone and I could tell that he didn't even have a single English word on his sleeve because of that very thick accent he had. Even if he had even one English word, it would just end up sounding like a Russian word.

Other than Dimitri's heartbeat and the guy on the phone, I could hear other things. I could hear footsteps, whispers and other run-the-mill things people do here inside the academy at three hours before sunrise.

The phone call ended and I heard Dimitri sigh heavily and mutter something in Russian.

Whatever that phone call was about, it was troubling him.

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**Uh-oh, what was that about? Nah, nothing too serious I think. :D**

**What do you think about DDG so far?**

**Leave a REVIEW.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate**


	11. The Break Up

**Hey guys! I just wanted to post this now so I could study for my finals tomorrow! **

**Finally! The last week of school is here!**

**ENJOY :D**

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**Chapter Nine**

**The Break Up**

"What's up, comrade?"

It has been the third day since my new-found friendship with Lissa and Mia _and_ Dimitri's phone call. Lissa, Mia and I stayed close together and we avoided the now broke "it" group. It was like when Lissa announced what she felt about Kathy's manipulative acts, they were broken up. The Conta twins were still on her tails but they lost some of that earlier "respect" they had for Kathy. As for Jesse, he and Kathy aren't together anymore but they agreed to be friends. With benefits. Ugh, again, royals suck face.

During Dimitri's classes or trainings, I tried to pry the information out of him as vaguely as I could but the only thing I got was that it wasn't only him involved on the phone call, all the guardians were and some Moroi professors.

"Nothing is up, as usual." He replied absently and nodded at me to start running my laps.

I sighed and did my stretches and laps. After that, I found Dimitri sprawled on the corner of the gym with his Western novel. When he heard me approach, he looked up at me with weary eyes. I could see that there were dark circles under those eyes I – for lack of better description – loved.

"You look tired," I noted and pointed at his eyes. "Are you feeling alright? Is anything bothering you?" I asked, feeling a little helpless.

He shook his head; not giving in. It looked like he knew what I was thinking now.

"Nothing is bothering me," he gave me a ghost of a smile but by the way his eyes tightened, I didn't believe it.

I shrugged, feigning indifference, and went on with my weights. After the weights, we did a little sparring but that was all, he didn't make a conversation again. I was dismissed early.

I was a bit disappointed by that but maybe it wasn't my business to get involved with them. It was now a quarter after four in the morning (human time) which meant the curfew was still a few hours away and the sun was just about to rise in another two hours or so. I, unlike a dhampir, still had a weakness toward the sun but it wasn't that much of a problem with me – it only had little effect on me, not as much as Moroi have.

It was now Friday and I took that time to hang out somewhere in the woods with my iPod and my iPhone's news. So far, there were no news about numerous missing people in the same place (that would likely to be a Strigoi kidnapping) or any killing spree. I only found normal crimes – human-made. The crimes made by humans were inevitable and I couldn't go swinging by and imprison or kill all criminals in the world. It was some kind of karmic way to balance out the universe, as sensei told me before.

The world wouldn't exist if it was only made out of all good things. That was what the symbol yin yang meant. The world is divided into two separate things, namely as the black and white or the good and the bad. But I had realized that the bad in the world was overruling, Strigoi killed my mom and they also killed plenty of innocent people to satisfy themselves through blood-draining or just plain killing. Besides those things, I had my school now so I couldn't really focus on them.

I usually hung out on the trees, sitting on the high branches and acted as a spectator in the whole academy. When I had already settled myself on a strong, high branch, I started to plug the earphones on my ears but I heard footsteps coming closer to where I was sitting on this tree branch. I could hear that there were three of them, the other two were a little far from me but there was one that was just a couple of feet away from my tree. One set of footstep was lighter than the rest – probably a girl – and the other two were guys. Yeah, I think I'm right. The solitary footstep came nearer and nearer until he stopped under my tree.

I put on my physical shield (i.e. invisibility, and inaudibility), looked down at me and I saw a Moroi. He had black hair but even though I couldn't see his other features, I knew who he was. I'd smelt his blood before. He was an Ozera.

The Ozeras were one of the royal Moroi families and I have known one particular line of them through some Strigoi latter. Two Moroi from the Ozera family had willingly turned Strigoi years ago, but I luckily dispatched them before they could turn their son, Christian Ozera, and a close relative, Natasha Ozera, into Strigoi too. I felt guilty and sad when I burned them in front of their eyes. Natasha turned little hysterical at that but I just put in the memory to her and her nephew that she was the one who burned them after they tried to awaken her.

That was when I smelled their blood too. Smelling both sweet and acrid. (Blood always disturbed me, their smell were overwhelming.) And this guy below me was undeniably _the_ Christian Ozera.

What a coincidence this was.

Christian moved into the shadows to cover up himself and he suddenly stiffened, looking a little worried.

The other footsteps were near to my tree now and with my hawk-like vision, I could see that the two were Lissa and Aaron. Lissa had told us before about this that she was in love with somebody else and it was never Aaron. Lissa only had him because she felt like it was the expected thing to do for a royal like her. If I was Aaron, I would have felt used by that but Lissa had her reasons. Lissa said that she was going to break her and Aaron's relationship soon but I didn't think that I'd be the one to witness it. Ugh.

From the four days I have known Aaron, all I could say that he was a bit on the shy side and naïve for a boy (i.e. suck face royal). After his first prank on me, he stopped, metaphorically raising the white flag of surrender with no hard feelings.

"Aaron, we need to talk." Lissa said, cutting off the silence.

Uh-oh, I didn't want to watch a sucky teenage break-up, dude! Even if Lissa's my best friend now, I was still new to the teenage world. I tried my best to ignore the scene below but it was just not possible.

"Then talk," Aaron said, oblivious to what was Lissa about to do. He leaned against a tree and looked at her with a small smile. I could almost feel Lissa's nervousness and contrition radiate like it was my own.

When Lissa didn't say anything, Aaron asked, "Hey, Lissa, what do you want to talk about?" he leaned away from the tree and reached out to Lissa.

Lissa wrapped her arms around herself and stepped away from Aaron's hand. "It's about us,"

Aaron's face turned confused. "What about us?"

"I don't –" Lissa swallowed loudly. "I don't love you anymore, Aaron. I'm sorry if it hurts you but it's the truth."

"Lissa…" Aaron reached toward her and she let him. "If it's something I did, I'm sorry."

Lissa recoiled. "No, it's not you, it's me, Aaron." Lissa told him and I could see that she was near to tears. "I don't love you anymore. God, I never did love you." Lissa looked like she was about to pull her hair out that moment.

Aaron stepped back from her like he was slapped. "What do you mean?"

Lissa swallowed loudly, guilt all over her. I _knew_ how much this meant to her – hurting other people was just not her thing. Lissa was too kind for her own good and her being frank was like shoving a knife through some poor kid's throat. That kindness was also the reason why she didn't tell Aaron. She didn't want to hurt anyone else but what now? The things just got worse when she didn't. She was a little mad at herself, I could see.

She explained to Aaron that all the rumors about her "cheating" on him were true and so on.

I heard Aaron snort. "Who's this lucky guy who won your heart?"

Lissa's hesitation was brief. "Christian Ozera." Ah, that was why the Pyromaniac was here. I should have known.

Aaron barked out a small, sad laugh. "The underdog wins," Aaron shook his head like he was trying to shake off a nightmare. "Why didn't you tell me this before, Lissa?" Poor boy, he sounded broken. I pitied the guy, he was nice and all but he was just hanging out with the wrong crowd.

"Because –" I could see clearly that Lissa was out of words. For the first time, I saw the princess at loss of words.

I heard an uncomfortable shifting below me. I saw that Christian was on the brink of showing himself to save Lissa. And I liked that.

"You know what?" It was the first time that I heard Aaron talk like that to anyone. He sounded angry and hurt and that only made Lissa feel worse. "I don't want to know anything about it. Goodbye, Lissa. Have a nice life." With that, Aaron stalked off, angry. That left Lissa alone and stunned and slightly hurt from his words. She didn't mean to end it this way.

I wanted to go to Aaron and knock the living daylights out of him for saying that to her but I knew that I needed to keep out of this. I was glad that the Ozera guy was here for her.

When there was no sign of Aaron anywhere, Christian ran to Lissa's side and comforted her with soothing words. I knew full well that I didn't want to mingle in on this so I left them there. Using my physical shield, I was stealthy.

I didn't know how long I stayed there in the woods, listening to Lissa and Aaron's break up but it was a while. Curfew was already an hour away and I could see the sky turning a dull blue-grey now. I decided to kill my time by eavesdropping on Alberta and some of the other guardians. All of them had been in low spirits since the day of that call. I walked to the guardian's building with only my invisibility on. Using my powers was no energy-drain but each and every one of them had a drawback. In invisibility, I could not be seen through the naked eye but I could be seen through mirrors, glasses and other things that can reflect an image so I shouldn't be so careless today.

I was in the guardian's building and I ducked and ran through glass doors and mirrors and I avoided guardians or professors that were wearing eyeglasses but those were rare.

I couldn't hear Alberta but I could now smell her scent. She smelled a little like vanilla and I couldn't help but think how sweet it smelled like. I traced her scent, through some corridors and numerous turns. When I got to one corridor, a familiar scent of aftershave filled in with the faint vanilla scent. Dimitri was with Alberta. I traced both their scents and I found myself in a door. I was in the guardian's conference room and now I could hear very faint mumbles from inside I couldn't open the door with the other guardians in the place but I was lucky enough that there was a guardian exiting. He was big so it was easy for me to slip inside the door without him noticing.

The conference room was empty but the mumbles of voices were more pronounced now. Still, I couldn't make out what they were talking about. There were other scents now – there were maybe three of four of them? They were not here but I knew I was in warmer path because their scents were stronger.

I wanted to grab my hair out of their follicles in frustration. I wasn't so good at using my sense of smell for hunting something down but I found myself in front of a door. Their scent ended there and I knew they were inside. I tried to reach out my hearing but it was like the room was sound-proof. It was just like watching a show on a wrecked TV where the cable wasn't plugged well.

I cursed audibly though I was sure that they couldn't hear me. I contemplated about what to do. Knock at the door so they would open it and give me a free entrance? Maybe. Burst inside like an unseen force? Maybe. I needed a stealthier plan. I didn't want them to suspect in _any_thing. Seconds later, I heard one set of footstep approach. I nearly kissed the guardian who opened the door for me; he was my hero this day. He saved me from suspicion. It was the same guardian who had went out a while ago.

I leaned on the other side of the wall beside the door and when he opened it, I easily slipped inside and that was when my plan became a BIG MISTAKE.

I'm sorry! I didn't know! That was the first coherent thing that I could form inside my brain. Some guardians looked up at who got inside but mostly others stared out in space.

But one. Just one. Was looking out the glass that where my reflection was. The expression on my face was dread but from my years of practice, I kept up a straight face.

Dimitri was the one looking out the glass patio where my reflection was. That's when I locked up. I couldn't move a muscle. The expression on his face was frustration but it was hidden behind a blank exterior. I could see through everybody's thoughts or expression just by looking at them. Within a second, his expression changed into something wistful and peaceful. His eyes were on my reflection when his expression changed but it was quickly followed by self-disgust. The only sign of him being disgusted with himself un-psychologically was the small shake of his head and the hardening on his lips.

He automatically put his guardian mask on and turned…

Toward…

My…

Direction…

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**CLIFFIE! What do you think will happen? Will Rose get caught?**

**Please leave a REVIEW if you want me to continue.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate**


	12. A Short DPOV

**For ****Mnemosinne**** and everybody else who reviewed. Thanks guys. I'll be putting short DPOVs from time to time.**

**Love you guys. Enjoy. :D**

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**Chapter Ten**

**A Short DPOV**

"It still hasn't been for three weeks. There were no reports made and there were no mysterious sightings there except for our entrance." Yuri reported.

Some of the humans had been speculating about our accession back in Spokane a few weeks ago. They wondered how it was so important to close off all roads in our advancing at that suburb. Some of the Queen's Moroi royal guards were sent to obliterate that retention from all humans who knew of the shutting off of the roads.

"Any casualties?" Alberta asked.

"None except for Stan's kidnapping." With that, the other guardians in the room snorted out their laughter, remembering Stan Alto's accident with the Strigoi and his poor vindication that he had decapitated the Strigoi with "his own bare hands."

Alberta, though, did not laugh at this. She was the only one serious in the room including me. It took me a while to notice that Emil was back from the Headmistress's office. I was a bit frustrated that others were not taking this assignment seriously. I was looking out at the window where I could see the sky turn from blue-grey to a slight orange and pink.

A few seconds later of staring outside, something other caught my attention. I found the most wonderful creature in the world and there, the frustration in me disappeared quickly and it turned into wistfulness and the desolation inside of me disappeared. I felt like I was at peace just looking at _her_ beautiful face. It took me two seconds to realize that I was thinking that about _my_ student. _And_ I was hallucinating about her too. I couldn't believe that I just turned into a pedophile for such short time.

_Pedophile, you're imagining things_, I told myself and I tore my eyes away from the reflection and shook my head, closing my eyes in the process. I looked at the door to make sure of whether I was hallucinating or not…

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**I know, it is very very short and crappy but I hoped you like the very short DPOV. It's a little insight into Dimitri's thoughts so you won't get so confused on the following chapters.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate**

**P.S. I changed my pen name. I hope you liked it. LOL :D**


	13. Pre Summer Invite

**Sorry, guys, I've been sick and I couldn't get my laptop back from my mom. Okay, I think you won't be interested in my excuse so just enjoy the chapter. It's very short, I know.**

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**Chapter 11**

**Pre-summer Invite**

I didn't move an inch when his eyes landed on me – or where I was invisibly standing. The expression on his face turned a little wistful for just a moment but it mutated into self-disgust again, just like they had before. He consciously closed his eyes tightly shut and his lips turned hard and serious. He turned his head back to the wide glass with his eyes still closed. I could imagine that he was trying to get off my image out of his system but I was sure that it wasn't helping a bit. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed so softly even I could barely hear it.

I gave myself a large lapse of time to hide though. As soon as he looked back at the glass, I was on my move. It took some time to find me some place to hide from my demise (rather). The only suitable place I found was the ledge above a tall Grecian column and I still knew that I could be seen there if the others would really _try _to look but it was better to die trying rather than die without even trying. I was using terms loosely; I meant was suspected, at least.

I climbed on the ledge silently and listened.

"The Headmistress just messaged the court; said they'd take care of it." the guardian from outside said.

_Take care of what?_ I asked myself.

"I can't help but see how unfair that is." Said one of the rare female guardians in campus. I noticed her voice from somewhere. Back out in Spokane, I think.

"Yeah, they get to have their hands clean from blood and they just let us do the dirty work for them." Yuri, I knew, said.

"It is the Queen's orders," said Dimitri all of a sudden and his voice seemed to rumble all over the room. "We cannot actually proclaim an impeachment against her just by our own personal reference." I could hear the tiniest hint from his voice that he agreed at what the other guardians had said a while ago. He couldn't this be a hypocrite, could he?

Guardian Petrov sighed loudly and ran a hand over her haggard face. "Were there any breaches at that time, Yuri?"

The other guardian shook his head. "None that I knew of."

I had no freaking idea what these people were talking about! But there was something about the Queen… hm, this should be interesting. I listened harder.

"Somehow, the court think it's a rogue Moroi or something. They even acknowledge the thought of it as a _group_ of rogue Moroi because of the many element it uses." The woman guardian said in a dry tone but I could hear the sarcasm drip like acid from her tone.

I think that I already was catching up on what they were talking about. Me. Not me me but the Slayer me.

"Cut the sarcasm, would you?" the guardian who was outside a while ago snapped. "Can't you just be serious this once? If we don't take this assignment for granted, this could be our break-through!"

The woman guardian shot up from her seat and glared at the other guardian. So much for guardian-ly composure. "Is this what you are always thinking about? The glory of it all?" she growled and the fire in her eyes could make a tiger proud. "If we didn't know any better, our lives could be at stake here!"

Alberta didn't stand up from her seat but she had one hell of an authority. "Stop it, both of you. You're both acting like immature children." She said in an icy cold voice and added, "Do you want to join Alto with his ordeal? I don't mind cutting off more patrons in this assignment."

The two guardians looked at her with barely concealed shock and surprise. Both of them sank down on their seats at the same time.

Alberta continued, "First off, I want to make things clear for both of you _again_. Celeste is right, Emil, our lives could be at risk in this mission so can we please take this a bit slow and take time to analyze things clearly." It wasn't a question but it was answered by a loud and clear, "Yes, Guardian Petrov."

It took me time to realize that Dimitri was still staring out at the rising sun outside; clearly oblivious to everything that was happening inside the room. His chin was on his hand, looking thoughtful. I would bet my silver bullets that he was deep in thought, lost.

"I don't want to hear any more arguments or complaints about this. If you want to press a case, get a lawyer." If I hadn't known better, I would have thought Alberta just made a joke.

"Yes, Guardian Petrov," at the same time the guardians repeated that, there was a loud firm knock from the door. Yuri stood up from his seat to answer the door. Whoever the person on the door, it was a Moroi. The Moroi and Yuri exchanged a few words and after that, Yuri came back with an envelope.

"Expensive envelope with the royal seal. Certainly from the monarchy." He said and handed the thick envelope to Alberta's outstretched hand. She inspected the outside in a speculative manner and then opened it and most likely feigned appeasing.

"Signed by the Queen herself too." If I could have read minds, I would have heard them chorus a loud and angry "treacherous dictator" there.

"What does it say?" Emil asked while Alberta scanned.

I peered at the paper and my vision was more than enough to give me a fair view for reading.

_Dearest Guardian Alberta Petrov,_

_I would like to invite you and your colleagues to attend my annual pre-summer celebration in my private summer palace in the Royal Court's compound. I have already sent your admirable Headmistress her own letter so she could announce it to the rest of the St. Vladimir students that they will be heading to court on exactly Monday and arrange flights with the court's private jets._

_I hope to see you all there._

_Truly Yours,_

_Queen Tatiana Ivashkov_

Wow, that was blunt.

"She's trying to bribe us," Celeste said simply but I could feel that she was on the brink of growling again.

"What did I say about arguments before?" Alberta asked her neutrally. I bet it was a rhetorical question, not meant to be answered.

"If we want to complain or argue, we have to get our own lawyer." Celeste answered anyway. She looked down at her lap like she was trying not to sulk.

Alberta ignored her and dropped the envelope on the table a little bit too loudly to get everyone's attention. It did, except for the Russian who was still staring out the glass, still looking thoughtful. I had the impression that he didn't care what this all was about. "The Queen's annual pre-summer celebration is only exclusive for royal Moroi families and close friends of the Queen. I think you know very well that we can't put this invitation like trash. Think well about it. We'll express our opinions tomorrow. Meeting's over; Belikov, I need to speak to you alone." The mention of Dimitri's name made me stop my jump down the ledge. I pulled my foot back up and observed.

When the other guardians were out, they looked at each other. The way Alberta looked at Dimitri was so intense… it made me think of something… _Oh my God, Dimitri and Alberta were an item!_ I was torn between running away with a cracked heart and laughing my ass out. I chose neither.

"I have something for you to see, Belikov." Alberta said. Er, despite their earlier "leer," they still spoke like soldiers to each other. Alberta walked to a small vault at the corner of the room with the Queen's latter in hand. I stayed quiet there at my place and just observed. Alberta opened the vault with the code 8914#, put in the Queen's letter, retrieved a small brown envelope and locked up the vault again.

Dimitri was now leaning back on his chair with his muscular arms across his chest. Alberta came back and gave him the envelope. He took it away from her and looked at the envelope suspiciously.

"Open it," said Alberta.

The hesitation was brief there; he opened the envelope and took out a big round locket. It was about the size of a clam and the color seemed to be a faded grey. It had intricate patterns of some swirling symbols but what caught my attention were the words engraved on it. I knew that I couldn't read those exact words but they looked very familiar to my eyes. I stifled a gasp and fumbled under my shirt for my locket. Lucky enough, I had it there just hidden below my shirt. I exhaled in relief and turned back to the other locket. I noticed that there was a white tape covering some of its patterns, it was labeled:

_10-11-07/Blansko, CZ_

Right, this was getting weirder by the minute. Blansko sounded like a familiar place, maybe I'd been there with sensei before but I couldn't remember. Memories blur like my past.

Dimitri said something in Russian and his eyes narrowed in deep consternation.

"Exactly," Alberta said and now, I doubted that they were an item. Nah, I was just kidding, they weren't some freaking item.

Dimitri looked up at Alberta with a questioning look. "What does it mean now?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you."

Dimitri looked a little confused a moment but recovered himself. "I'm sure I'll find out what it means."

_What the hell are they talking about?!_

"Good," Alberta said and exhaled softly. She looked grateful.

"Did you know that Blansko _had_ the second largest population of Strigoi, right?" he asked Alberta while he tucked the locket back in.

"Yes, I know." They stared at each other again like they were reading their minds. A light of comprehension lit Alberta's eyes and she nodded with a small grin on her face. "You're not planning to –"

Dimitri shook his head. "Not now,"

I didn't know what I just did there but I was dumbfounded.

Alberta sighed in relief. "That's good to hear but it is needed to be accomplished in due time. We only get about half a month more."

"I know," Dimitr stood up and gave the envelope back to Alberta. "It's my watch," he nodded at Alberta in a friendly good bye and as soon as the door opened, I ran outside and into my dorm. With my speed, nobody noticed me on my way here.

My life was such a freaking mystery but I can't wait to see the Queen on Monday.

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**I'm running out of ideas and I need help! They're still in school… so what do you think will Dimitri and Rose do (as teacher and student)? Mase, Edddie, Lissa, Mia, (even) Christian, Rose will do? Just back in the academy, okay? I now got tons of ideas when they arrive at the court. *Spoiler* A new character will be introduced. (I know, I make no sense)  
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**Please help me and REVIEW.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate**


	14. I Have a Thing for Puppies

**I'm sorry, I haven't been able to update, it was because I nearly ran out of ideas and I was just plain lazy. I'd just been lying around my room, wondering what the hell Italian food did to me. We had dinner last night with the whole family because it was my dad's death anniversary and it was like all those mashed potatoes, gravies, ribs, pastas, everything wanted to come out in a smoothied mess right out of my mouth. *shudders at the memory* It has been a year since my dad died but it seemed like it was just yesterday. I miss him so much.**

**Anywho, just written this chapter for, like, hours. Three hours, I think. Or four.**

**Enjoy :D**

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**Chapter Twelve**

**I Have a Thing for Puppies**

_Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"Rose, get your damn butt out of your bed now!"

_Not now, sensei_, I wanted to say. It was a bit harsh for him to say those words to me and it was very unlikely. He was never this impatient before. I ignored, thinking he was pretending to be mad, but no. The knocks got freaking louder and I could feel the whole room vibrate from it. I growled deep in my chest and put the pillow on top of my ears, hoping to drown sensei's noise out.

"Wake up, you slug!"

I have never been more irritated with my enhanced hearing ability all my life. I cursed silently and wrenched my body out of the bed, rubbing my face in the process. I didn't even bother to look at the mirror or brush my hair. It didn't matter now; I had to get sensei—

"She's sleeping like the dead." That was when I realized that it was not sensei talking. Neither was it a guy… it was a girl. Mia. Shit, I forgot that I was in the academy.

I rubbed my eyes, wondering why I was so tired. I had never been this sleep-deprived before—well, as close as I could get close to being sleep-deprived, that is. Every time I woke up, I always feel the same; buzzing with energy and ready for every day's action. But now, I felt drained, kind of. I didn't know why and I never want to know why. It scared me a little being this vulnerable.

I shook off those thoughts and opened my door. "You better have a good reason for waking me up," I grumbled as I did. I saw a flushed and bouncing Mia on my door. She was dressed casually and I wondered why she was up so early. I could feel that the sun was still half an hour until it sets.

"Hurry," she pushed me back to my room and as soon as we got inside, she locked my door and started to rummage on my closet.

"What are you doing?" I asked her and consciously pushed my duffle bag of weaponries further down my bed.

"Getting clothes, obviously." She answered me and whirled around to look at me. She had a red ruffle dress on her hands. "Here, wear this." She held it out to me. I didn't even know that I owned that thing. The dress looked awful and crumpled and I would do anything to keep it away from me. Or not wear it now, at the least.

"Why?" I took the dress away from her hands and tossed it at the side of the room. Most of my dresses ended up in orphanages or some charities that needed some clothing.

"We're going shopping, didn't you know?" she practically screamed at me.

I opened my mouth to say no, but before I could utter out the word, my door banged again. I sighed in mild vexation and opened my door.

"Good morning, Rose." Greeted Lissa with a radiant smile.

I gave her a smiled of my own. "Good morning to you too, Princess." I narrowed my eyes at them. "Good God, the girls are such in a good mood today." I said when she was inside. I intended for Mia to hear that too. They were too hyper; maybe they just had too much caffeine in them. I reminded myself to give them a dose of my special chai tea.

I caught their blushes and I could feel my mouth gape open.

Girls glowing. Happy mood. Hyper-active.

"Who?" was all I could ask.

"Not Aaron," Lissa confessed with a rueful embarrassed grin.

I turned to look at Mia sharply. She was bright red and I could see that my question worked her up a bit. "That's insignificant—"

"C'mon, lay it all out for us, would you, Mia?" I said with a little pout.

She flushed even redder. "Well…" I could feel that she felt guilty, sad, and kind of… uneasy. I could feel the regret there. And fear.

"Who did you do it with, Mia? Did he do something bad to you?" I asked her and I hadn't meant for my voice to sound that sharp. I was getting worried.

She looked at me with widened blue eyes. "Oh, God, no, that's not it." she didn't continue.

"Then what is it?" I attempted to sound calmer but it still had the sharp edge. It could still cut. "What are you afraid of?"

She didn't seem so surprised that I could read her easily. "Well… I'm not afraid of _him_ more than you…"

_Oh, she was afraid of me_, I thought. _Figures._

"Why are you afraid of me?"

"Because I slept with…" I raised my brows in anticipation and she looked at me and blurted it all too fast.

"Huh?"

"Isleptwitheddie."

I couldn't really put the words right and I held her hand to calm her down. "Take a deep breath." She did. "Exhale," She did. "And then explain."

"I'm so sorry, Rose, but I slept with him. I couldn't help it. I just had a huge major crush on him since I got here and—"

"Who's _he_?" I cut her off.

"Eddie. Eddie, your friend." I felt my jaw hit the floor.

_Eddie just got laid in short time_, I thought to myself,_ not bad. And not with a doll, too._ I nearly lost myself trying not to laugh at my inside joke. I never thought that Eddie-boy could be a catch to such a pretty girl.

"Eddie Castile?"

She nodded, blonde curls jumping.

"Why'd you think I'd be mad at you?" I asked.

"Because I thought you two were—because you were so close—"

I raised my hand and sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't have a freaking boyfriend?" _Though I wish I did._ But when it comes to that, I just couldn't pick _any_ guy. When I think about the particular subject _boyfriend_, a whisper of a voice with a Russian accent just flit through my mind. I repressed my shiver.

She eyed me warily but ignored it. "So, I slept with a guy I like, no big deal there."

_The question is,_ I wanted to tell her_, does he like you back?_ I guess I had to find that out myself, considering Eddie and I were—for lack of better words—friends.

"Good for you," was all I said before turning back to Lissa. She was trying to hide her smile. "And you have lots of explaining to do."

She did. I didn't know how long we sat there while she poured out her break-up with Aaron—she left out the part where he yelled at her, and I had the impression that she was trying to protect the suck face royal Moroi away from me—and her relationship with the crazy Pyromaniac, Christian Ozera. The break-up part earned Lissa a hug from me and Mia. While I was in my shower, she still continued talking just outside, leaning on the sink and Mia sitting on the closed toilet bowl. She revealed all her deep-dark secrets and told us some sentimental things about friendship.

"I _love_ you guys like my own sisters and _nothing_ will ever change that." On she went.

I pretended to be mildly taken aback by that but deep-down inside of me, my heart warmed. It was something big to have me react this way. Normally, I wouldn't have been this affected by sentiment this easily. Hell, I wouldn't be affected at all. But with _friends_—_best friends_—it was easy to feel.

If having your best friends confess their feelings to you like this, what could it possibly feel to have someone you truly love—romantically or not—to have that confess to you.

A dull ache throbbed in my chest as I yearned for that moment to happen.

Hope. I could only hope.

~~~*****~~~

Fortunately, it wasn't such a cold day (night for humans). The sun was setting as we walked down on the commons to meet up with some senior novices and guardians who were accompanying us to Missoula. I ended up wearing a black boob tube with a white drape waistcoat and a comfortable knit skirt (I had short cycling shorts under them, as usual). I couldn't ever leave anywhere without some of my dragon bling. I wore my dragon slave bracelet with ring and an amber dragon necklace. Just under the boob tube was my locket, tucked in and safe. I couldn't reveal it, could I? My over-the-knee boots crunched on the ground as we walked past trees and giant dorms. **(clothing ensemble pic on profile) **Even though I had nothing to worry about, I still brought my own silver dagger with me. I didn't want to bring a stake because it would be too conspicuous and having my small trusty dagger was fitting. I had it on a sheath on my wrap boots. It was unnoticeable.

Lissa was supposed to meet up with the Pyromaniac at the woods so she excused herself for a minute.

"We'll just wait for you at the commons!" Mia called when Lissa submerged through the trees.

Mia and I started walking to the clearing-like commons, crossing the small bridge that separated the guardians' accommodation from the students. The water below the bridge would look like black to the untrained eye but for me, it was simply lagoon blue. I could see the night perfectly like it was day and I really thought it was.

"You should really dress like that more often, Rose." She told me with a small smile.

"Why?" I asked her, I was having the feeling that she was going to encourage me. And that encouragement would be effective.

"More guys would notice you."

I let out an unintentionally harsh laugh. "Like there aren't enough stalkers." I mumbled and looked at my boots, thinking of somebody else I'd like to stalk me. As disgusting as it may sound, I would like to get noticed by a particular someone.

_If he'll just snap out of his guardian façade, that is_.

We were at the guardians' area now and I could hear boys—teenage boys—bickering and laughing. Two of them were Mason and Eddie. When we were within sight, Mason crowed. "Rose is here!"

Everybody turned around to look at me. There were five senior novices in sight and the three of them were Mason, Eddie and Stas. Stas looked like his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets when he saw me. I noticed that it was not only him but it was all the guys. The guardian at the fringe even raised his brows.

"See something you like, boys?" I asked them with my man-eating grin. They looked like they swallowed that up and the star-struck look on their faces reminded me of puppies. I didn't know why but I just had a thing for puppies.

"You don't know how." Mason told me with a slightly dazed look on his fair-freckled face.

I gave Mason a flying kiss and turned to Eddie and gave him a flirty smile. "How about you hot stuff, what's up? You look like you're glowing today." I told him and gave Mia a small unnoticeable nudge. "Haven't seen me like this before?" As I had expected, Eddie blushed, making him look adorable. He and Mia made a cute pair. I winked at Eddie and looked back at him and Mia, raising my brows. I hoped he got the message because I went on to the next guy.

A hot blond and blue-eyed novice. "Stas, it's nice to meet you." I regarded him like I normally did and I could see slight disappointment build up from him. He had been expecting me to flirt with him. I didn't really like leaving _my_ boys disappointed so I gave him my man-eating smile winked. His posture un-slumped and hope filled him up like a drug.

I could hear that Mia and Eddie were talking now and they had their heads close together. They were sitting on one of the benches and I could see that Mia's face was flushed from something Eddie had said. I didn't bother reaching out my hearing; my friends needed their own privacy. I'll grant it to them as much as I could.

Mason and I were talking when the other guardians arrived. One of them was Dimitri. He didn't seem to notice me at first because he kept on walking toward the other guardian who was clearly trying to avoid me **(I know, guys, very Mary-Sue but I can't help it. Rose is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L)**. Dimitri spoke to the guardian and had to get his attention more than twice. When it was about the fifth time and I could see from Dimitri's shoulders, he was a bit irritated. He looked back to where the guardian was looking with a perfectly stoic face. He looked indifferent at first and started to look away but it was like something hit him. He doubled back, looking full on me. The guardian mask was only half on and I could feel his gaze was heavy on me. I looked back at him, smiled and waved.

It was an innocent gesture but it made him narrow his eyes. His forehead furrowed and he looked away, self-disgusted again. Ugh, when will he ever learn! Just hope Rose, only hope.

~~~*****~~~

"Dude, would you please lay off with the farting?" I asked for the fifth time. From now on, I would always believe in the quote, "looks can be deceiving." With black hair and blue eyes, he looked decent but when you get to know the idiotic Pyromaniac inside and not only out (Lissa would have been the only one to inspect him _outside_), you'd be in for one hell of an annoying ride. At first, I thought that Pyromaniac was good for Lissa and had accepted that I will have been in good terms with him but no—he just has to ruin my trust on him.

"You're the one who's farting, _Rosetta_." He kept calling me other names that were just a little close to my real name. I didn't like that one bit but I had to ignore him for Lissa. She wouldn't want her boyfriend screaming for water for the next hour, would she?

I gave him a piercing glare—the ones I rarely use—and peeled my eyes away from him. I looked at the window and silently prayed for time to move faster. The Pyromaniac was annoying me to death.

Gladly, Mason noticed my tension and gave my hand a little squeeze. I squeezed his hand back in appreciation. For a minute, I think I saw Dimitri's eyes on the rear-view mirror. He looked at somewhere… Oh! He was looking at Mason's hand in mine. Expression didn't show from his face but he unconsciously tightened his lips and I heard him grunt. It couldn't be heard by anyone else except me.

Jealous, comrade?

~~~*****~~~

"Rossana, we're here."

I didn't even bother to look back at _Christian_. I just walked straight to where Guardian Petrov was where she was distributing earpieces to the novices.

"Half of the novices will be with one Moroi. This will be your first hands-on exam. Approaching hostile territory by choice is a risky thing." She said as she handed us each an earpiece. We placed it on our ears. "Novices, can you hear me?" her voice rang in my right ear where the earpiece was.

"Yes." We replied. It was actually weird that I was the only female novice in the academy.

"Reyes and Barnes, you'll be having your normal axial route at the rear of each store the Moroi get into." Guardian Petrov said and the novices nodded. I could see that both of them were excited and nervous. Guardian Petrov handed them silver stakes.

In a mall, anything metallic or dangerous wasn't allowed but silver stakes were not ordinary metal. They were semi-precious and humans mostly use them as jewelries so there was no problem there.

I was assigned to guard Lissa for now and I had to bear with Christian with her. Lucky enough for me, I had Mason there to calm me down. And Dimitri.

Let the jealousy games begin.

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**I had to stop it there. I'm tired and it's my last day of school tomorrow. FINALLY. I'll update as soon as I can. I can't promise anything tomorrow because I still have to attend school and other than hellish school, I have kinda have a heavy feeling on my lungs. Asthma, I think. It's been a long time since I had this. It's genetic. My sister and brother have them and it's getting chronic at times of heat.**

**So, what do you think? Aren't Eddie and Mia cute together?**

**Since when do I make long chapters? I know that it's not really **_**that**_** long but it was the best I can do. For now. I'll be stirring some new stuff during "When in Pennsylvania." Can you guess who'll be the new character I'll introduce?**

**Ideas are more than welcome. Please put them on a review or just PM me. Some answers for this question particularly: What should Rose do to make Dimitri jealous?**

**One REVIEW won't hurt.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**


	15. Jealousy Can Be Hard To Swallow

**Hey, everybody thanks for the reviews. The jealousy games goes both ways.**

**Enjoy :D**

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**Chapter Thirteen**

**Jealousy Can Be Hard To Swallow I**

Girls chasing us almost became a routine when we were inside. Well, not really chasing but they were following us. These were really the times that I hated my ability to overhear things. The girls talking about the "totally hot guy" Dimitri and they were oblivious that I was shooting them glares from time to time. And like the freaking masochist I was, I still listened even though I didn't want to hear what they were talking about Dimitri.

They continued to babble while I divided my thoughts to guarding Lissa, listening to the girls and occasionally flirting with Mason. I pointedly ignored the Russian that followed us at our back but I could feel his eyes boring on the back of my head.

I took Mason's hand and held it tightly and—as easy as it could be—looked up at him and smiled in a way that showed affection. I was good at lying and acting. Actually, they were my forte. We could probably pass as being a couple now with this entire PDA.

I heard a low grunt behind me and I couldn't help but feel satisfaction build up inside me.

_Selfish, selfish,_ I chastised myself.

"Hathaway, focus." He said through the earpiece and even though he had his blank tone, I could hear the smitten tone he tried hard to compress.

Even with my nonexistent relationship with boys my age (or any age, for that matter), I had this uncanny ability to lure them in. I also had this keen instinct on how to make them jealous and want me more. It sounds shallow and completely not me but it was an instinct. Maybe the cause of their liking me was my natural charm and wit or I was just a plain freak. I never really liked how almost all of the boys react when I was around—I was no attention-seeker. Er, except for one guy though.

Seeing that we were in a public place, the guys around me were staring. Usually it lingered on my chest. I couldn't blame them; I blame what I was wearing. It was a bit distracting for some of the novices' parts too but I had a goal today. Not that I was not doing my "duty" but I would never let them down when Strigoi try breach our peaceful shopping. Mason was a bit distracted but kept up his guardian facade.

I was only half aware that we were in a—what the fuck? —lingerie shop. _Victoria's Secret_ for sure. Aw, this was no damn fun! I was never the one who really liked looking at undergarments—it was a bit embarrassing but I was in a luring mission today. I had to use every advantage I could find.

"Oh, Rose, this one is truly made for you!" Lissa squealed all of a sudden. She raced to me with something lacy-satiny and red in her hands. She immediately put the little piece of nothing in front of me, her face scrutinizing.

Mia made a little scream. "Buy it for her, Lissa!"

I smiled, what I hoped to be a convincing one, and took the thing from Lissa and held it against my body. I don't know why but my cheeks started to hurt a while later.

Mason looked like he wanted to be somewhere else other than here. That made the both of us. Dimitri stayed quiet and was out on the store's door, patrolling but he was certainly looking at us.

"Hathaway, what are you doing?" I was startled at how his voice sounded at the earpiece. It was sharp and almost chastising.

I smiled wider at the mirror and said through the earpiece, "I'm blending in, comrade."

"Don't distract yourself too much, please."

"No need to fear, comrade. I'm on guard." I told him and made a small salute on the mirror where I could see his reflection. He was looming outside but his eyes were on me.

"I'll hold on to that." He sounded much calmer now. I turned off my buttons and the wide smile disappeared from my face and I gave him a small but amused smile on the mirror. I shook my head a little and turned back to Lissa.

"Please, Rose, let me buy it for you." Lissa pleaded with big eyes.

Instead of declining, I affirmed. "Sure," I gave her a small—if not forced—smile. It was ironic that I was a girl with _the_ body and I didn't like _these_ particular garments.

I mentally groaned when Lissa picked another one. It was now a blue one. And the next one was black. I had to freaking endure this punishment. What did I ever do to deserve such torture? Whatever I was rambling inside my brain; my actions on the outside were on the complete contrary.

I was smiling, feigning excitement and happiness, and I flirted with Mason and he gladly flirted back. This was the first time that I had noticed that I was a natural flirt. Not the overly sociopathic introvert like I was the first day at the academy, but not a stereotypical sharp-tongued girl also. It was just _that_. The words that seemed to flatter Mason—or boys in general—came out of my lips as naturally as water sliding through rocks on rivers.

I scanned my eyes around the room and saw Dimitri approaching us. I ignored him, looking back at Mason and laughed at a joke he said. I came nearer to him and ran my hand down his right arm.

"Belikov's here," he murmured close to my ear and looked at him in purpose while he leaned in. Our nose touched and Mason—being the flirty guy that he is too—leaned closer to me.

"Rose," _Glad we were in first name basis now._

I—overdoing the reluctance—dragged my eyes away from Mason's blue eyes to look at the gorgeous dark ones. It surprised me that it held absolutely nothing, not even one hint of any emotion. It was hard to believe that I couldn't read him now; I have never encountered anyone that was this stoic before.

"Yes?" I asked him, raising a brow but I couldn't perfect it. It probably looked like a pathetic imitation of his raising-one-brow motion.

"You're exchanging posts with Mr. Castile," he told me, emotionless.

I was about to protest when Lissa cried out in defiance. "No, Guard—" whoops, Lissa almost slipped. It was overwhelming not to slap my forehead with my palm. I looked around and a saleswoman was scrutinizing us—or rather ogling at Dimitri. She stepped out of her counter and she had that perfect hourglass figure and perfect golden blonde locks. She had the looks of a struggling actress but she wasn't anorexic enough to compete with today's celebrities.

"Excuse me, can I help you with something?" she averted the question to Dimitri. He was oblivious at the leer the saleswoman gave him but it was obvious that he caught my glare at the woman. Emotion filled a fourth of his eyes only for a second. It was amusement.

"No, we're alright." I told the saleswoman.

She ignored me. "Sir, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to tell me what that is." She said in an overly friendly way. I could hear a subtle inflection on her voice that she was not only offering her services here in the mall.

I nearly growled then and there but I couldn't help but let my nose flare. Now _I_ was the one who's jealous.

Dimitri looked at me in a way that I would have found entertaining if I wasn't too mad by now.

"We need no one's help, thank you." I smiled at the blonde saleswoman, hoping it was friendly.

Her eyes flickered toward me in a somewhat devious way. How could humans be this glib and foolish? Certainly, she didn't find me intimidating. Let's just see when I take my glasses off. I didn't do it, though. I would do it when my patience's gone.

"I was not talking to you, _Ma'am_." _Oh, she did not just say that._

I kept my composure but inside, my mind was in full throes of murderous thoughts.

Lissa and Mia cast me an uneasy glance and Mason put a hand on my shoulder.

"Is that how the way you talk to your costumers?" I asked her in a scary-calm voice. Nobody—in this place at least—had heard me use that tone.

I was aware of Dimitri looking at us back and forth, not really knowing what was going on.

She stepped up to me, shifting to her full height. She was almost six feet tall without her heels so she wasn't far off to Dimitri's height now. She glared down at me with an intensity that could have scared away poor animals. Not me.

She faked an innocent expression. "What do you mean?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice.

Nobody answered her. Not even me. The tension around me seemed to grow and I saw Dimitri shift his weight and look around the store for any signs of Strigoi. Still patrolling when a cat fight was about to happen.

"Heard about etiquette?" I asked her in a perfectly blank voice. I swear my glasses were about to melt because of the heat of my glare toward her direction. Luckily, I was wearing my titanium ones so it wasn't that liable to melt. _That_ was just for its frame. The lens was the other way around. I just hoped it would not start smoking and melt in front of everyone's eyes, which would be bad enough.

She put on a haughty, aloof face and stared down at me. "I don't give a damn about fucking etiquette. My mother owns this fucking store and I'm in charge here." The smugness in her voice just angered me more.

I was considering whether to burn her Barbie hair or slip until her skull cracks open but before I could do anything, Mia exploded.

"Oh, let's see who's in charge!" her voice crackled in the air between them and without notice, Mia started toward the girl with speed that impressed me. She raised her hands, about to claw the Barbie impersonator's eyes out but Mason was there, blocking her way. I was a bit disappointed at this but Mia can handle her own fight. She slipped away from Mason and that's when Dimitri made his move. He moved in front of Barbie and covered her.

"Miss Rinaldi, stop—" noise exploded in our ears and I couldn't help but flinch at it.

"What is it you're doing there, Hathaway? Ashford?" Guardian Petrov's voice practically screamed at us. "You're letting your Moroi attack a human!"

Oh, that was it.

"Sorry," I told her through the earpiece and grabbed Mia, not too roughly.

"Get out of my way! That bitch deserves some treatment!" she struggled against me but she was surprised that she couldn't move her arms. I got her arms gripped like iron. She gave me a look that told me everything camaraderie and it was tempting to resist.

"Don't worry," I whispered to her ear. "She'll get her treatment." I leaned away and smiled at my petite warrior.

Her eyes glinted evilly and, in sync, we looked at Lissa. We gave her _the_ look and her eyes widened but she smiled.

"We'll let the pursuit go," Lissa said in a voice full of charisma and power, the attention went directly to her. "You have insulted my friend in a way she has never been but we will let it go and pretend nothing happened." She said and held her chin high, dropped the garments back to where she picked them up. "We will not be purchasing anything from this store, though. Good bye and thank you for your _friendly_ services." Lissa said and started to stride toward the exit with everyone in tow.

Eventually, she managed to get everyone out without me but I couldn't push my luck so I made it quick. I ticked off a small ball of fire from my finger and it landed adroitly at the top of her sleek golden ponytail. I left her after that, using my full speed to catch up with the gang.

I found them at an Italian bistro called _Gaby's Bistro_ and it was at the second floor, coincidentally in front of the _Victoria's Secret_ store. Nothing big was still happening, to Lissa and Mia's dismay. They saw me and waved me over to their seat just near the railing of the floor. I figured that they picked the venue on purpose so they could see what I did.

"What did you do?" asked Lissa with an enthusiasm that could only be compared to a five year-old's.

"Um," I wasn't sure if I would tell them what I did. What would I say? Hey, guys, I just ticked a fire ball with my own fingers to burn down the store (?)

"She's not answering, that means it's good." Mia said in approval. Her eyes glinted mischievously again.

"Right," I said lamely and straightened from my slump. "I'll be patrolling." I told them.

"Come back in fifteen minutes, the mojos are gonna be ready!" Mia called and I nodded at her.

I started at the corner of the floor, scanning my eyes at every inch though it was obvious that everything was Strigoi-free. Many people were walking in various directions and it was really my first time to look at the world. I found myself kind of fascinated by them; I never had been this close to them before. When I was out Strigoi hunting, I never did have a single friend except for sensei, not that I'd count him as a friend _only_. He was like my own father, protective yet provocative. Two opposing characteristics, showing that he was a man of leverage. Balanced.

I was a bit distracted with my thoughts that I hadn't noticed that somebody was speaking through my earpiece.

"—get rid of him." It said.

"What?" I asked, a little flustered.

I heard an exasperated sigh from the other line and realized it was Dimitri speaking.

"Somebody's following you. Four o'clock, brown leather jacket."

The description of the jacket made me say, "That's you,"

He chuckled from the other line. "Not me. Not tall enough to be me."

I glanced four o'clock. Sure enough, there was a guy leaning on the wall, watching my butt.

"I can cause a scene, comrade." I told Dimitri when I ignored the guy.

"I think we gathered enough attention today, Rose." He said and I frowned. He didn't know _how_ I would make a scene.

"Not enough for me," I told him before letting out in a girly, high-pitched scream that was so _au contraire_ of me.

I heard strings of Russian cursing from the Dimitri.

I whirled toward the man's direction—four o'clock—and I was aware of everyone's attention on me. Just great—don't note the sarcasm, there's none. I faked a frightened face and pointed at him like a scared girl. I shrieked again and I was aware of running footsteps.

"Help me! This guy is stalking me!" I pointed at the man.

The guy, understandably, looked perplexed-in-a-disconcerted way. He raised his hands innocently and leaned away from the wall. He started shaking his head. "I'm not—"

"Rose," Dimitri's voice was at my side and his heart was beating fast, indicating that he was running.

The expression on the man's face turned from baffled to petrify. His face paled a couple of shades when he saw the man beside me. Yeah, who wouldn't be scared by a six-foot-seven Russian version of Hercules? The only difference was he wasn't wearing the lion skin; he was wearing a long leather coat, also known as a _cowboy_ _duster_.

The expression on Dimitri's face wasn't as murderous as I had expected. I had assumed from the spotlight that I had created today, he would have been mad at me, but no…

The look of amusement in his eyes was barely concealed to me but for the man who was long staring at my butt a while ago… it looked _very_ intimidating.

"Excuse me, sir," Dimitri said to the poor man. The man looked like he was about to pee on his pants. "Leave the _lady_ alone. That is not a request but an order." With his accent, he made quite an image.

The man regained his senses and he started nodding and bowing at me. "I'm so sorry," he said, not addressing to me but to Dimitri, before scurrying off.

I put on a stoic face before turning back to my mentor. Embrace the wrath, Rose.

Instead of chastising me, the corner of his mouth turned up in what looked like a smile. It was wry and amused and it tickled my fancy. Er, it more than tickled my fancy, I loved it.

"You made quite a show there, Miss Hathaway." He told me before gesturing to the hallway full of people. They were all giving me looks. I ignored them and I could hear footsteps again.

"Whoo! You can run, man!" I heard Mason exclaim. "We heard a scream." He appeared in front of us, sweaty and panting. It took me awhile to notice that he was with Stas Bloody-murder-escu. Ha-ha, that was a cool joke.

"Too late," I told them with a smug face. "Already took care of it."

Mason scrunched up his face. "Oh, man, we got beat by a girl." He whined.

"Actually, we _always_ get beaten by this girl." Said Stas with a small smile for me.

"Was that a compliment?" I asked them, not really caring what the answer was.

"Of course," Stas looked at me in a way that was too disbelieving for my taste. I rolled my eyes at them and started walking toward Lissa and Mia's table when I smelt it.

Smoke. Something was burning. And then the sweetest of sounds, "What the fuck?! My hair is burning!"

I could smell the sickly sweet smell of her hair's shampoo from here. Ew. It smelled like burnt tires with a small package of dung. Ugh.

A scream filled the silence that I had caused. The scream caught everyone's attention and it shifted away from me. I noticed whose scream it was.

Damn. I love myself.

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**I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Made this while half-asleep. LOL :D**

**REVIEW.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**


	16. L'homme Grande

**ATTENTION: I need funny ideas and some witty quotes/lines that fit Rose or anyone in VA! I'm not good at them and I really need HELP!**

**The usual disclaimer applies in this story.**

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**Chapter Fourteen**

**L'homme Grande  
**

I was standing at the railing just in front of the store where a tall woman in super high heels ran out of a store. What was surprising was her hair was alight with fire. She screamed for water and panicked. The people around me gave different reactions. Others were shocked and compassionate, and some were laughing, mistaking the hair bonfire as a joke.

It was far from a joke.

I kind of felt guilty for doing so. I hid my smile but it was hard to. I felt the guys come near me to see what the commotion was about too.

"What the hell is that?" Stas asked me. He could be such a toddler sometimes.

"Her hair's on fire, dude!" Mason laughed. "What kind of joke is that?!" Everyone seemed to agree with Mason but the fire looked too real to be faked and Barbie was still screaming and running around. Nobody was still helping her and the security was far from helping her.

"Did I just do that, Rosalinda?" Christian asked from behind me. His eyes were ice-cold and the smirk on his face made me want to punch somebody. It was just plain ol' smug.

I ignored Christian, and just sighed in exasperation. I went to retrieve an ice bucket and started down the stairs. I was really bad at playing guilt trips and the freaking Pyromaniac just made it worse. I ahd to admit, he wasn't the only Pyromaniac here.

"Rose, where are you going?" I looked back to see Dimitri catching up on me.

I offered him a serious smile. "Those humans are not helping her." I tried my best to hide the emotion on my voice and he didn't seem to believe that.

"Let me do it," he told me and took the bucket of ice away from me. I took it back with a sneer. He probably knew that I was just not doing this to help the freaking lady. This was an unexpected part of my vengeance.

"No, you won't," I was so smitten. I ran as fast as a dhampir could and I could feel Dimitri was still catching up with me. Giving myself momentum, I jumped up and dumped the bucket of ice on Barbie's burning hair and instead of quieting down and whimpering in relief, she screamed louder. The ice was enough to stop the fire and it was building up some smoke. It smelled nasty. She opened her eyes and looked at me. Her blue eyes were piercing and it could make anybody flinch. I was not anybody though.

"Do you know what you just did?!" she shrieked at me and looked down at her pink suit. She turned to glare at me and spat obscene things that I didn't really want to hear right now. "—bitch! Do you know how much this fucking is?!"

"I'm sure you can afford to buy another one. After all, you own that store," I didn't really mean what happened but my temper was long gone when she called me _many_ unacceptable things. I pointed at the now burning store. I put on a stoic face. "You should call the fire department; I'm not going to help you anymore." I turned away from her and marched away with Dimitri on my heels.

I saw that his posture was stiff, I didn't care.

I wasn't so aware that I just used my powers in public but now, I didn't care at all. All I thought was that Barbie got what she deserved. She wasn't even grateful that I prevented her precious hair from burning into ashes. Instead of making that as a peace-offering, she declared war on me and the real me doesn't accept failure. I was the ruthless Slayer after all.

~~~*****~~~

When I got back up the second floor, I could smell Lissa and Mia's mojos. Yum. I ignored Dimitri and shamelessly flirted with both Stas and Mason. They were on guard duty while I ate. Mia and Lissa were looking at me with astonished looks on their faces. They looked paler than usual but I didn't bother to ask what caused it. I was sure they didn't know I would take vengeance that way. If they were disbelieving, they did not know me.

"So, aside from being scorching hot and sexy, what do you do?" I asked Mason rhetorically when we were together, patrolling axially. Dimitri was on the other side of us, far on the corner but I could still feel that his attention was divided from me and Strigoi.

Mason scanned the room for anything before answering. "I don't really do anything else that doesn't include keeping my body fit. Gym, combat classes and all that stuff." He answered anyway.

"What do you think about girls fighting?" I asked him. It was a random question.

He looked at me and he was obviously checking me out. We were dangerously close and that made me wonder why Dimitri hadn't interrupted.

"It's _hot_," he whispered. We were in the other corner on the mall now. There wasn't anyone around. That was weird.

Mason leaned close to me as I leaned on the wall, grabbing the collar on his shirt and his lips were crushing against mine. I was doing this on purpose. I knew who was coming our way. Mason stiffened a little but kissed me back, running his tongue over my lips and pushing me against the wall. He had both his hands on either side of the wall when a big bad Russian appeared.

_Jackpot,_ I thought to myself and smiled against Mason's lips.

"Ashford," I heard Dimitri's sharp voice on Mason's earpiece. Mason flinched and clambered back and straightened his clothes. I acted like nothing just happened. I looked at my mentor and almost fainted. He looked like a raging lion, ready to pounce at anyone or anything this second.

"Mr. Ashford, do you know the rules about male and female interaction in the academy? If so, it also applies in this area. _Especially _in this area." His voice was grimly quiet. He looked at me in a way that made me want to take a step back.

"Miss Hathaway," he started in a hard tone. "The princess requests you presence. Follow me." Without saying anything else, he turned back on his heels and walked away in a manner that was too fast and predatory to be human. Of course, I knew that he wasn't completely human, but we shouldn't be attracting attention, right? Well, tell that to myself.

I nodded to Mason with a small smile and followed the raging Russian. I caught up to him easily. He cast me a sidelong glance and turned back to where he was going. Half-way to where we were going, the silence seized.

"I'm disappointed in you, you know?" his voice was calmer now, almost like nothing had happened.

I turned to look at him, hiding a frown. "I kind of guessed that when you stayed quiet." I told him.

"You don't usually act this way," he noted and he sounded confused or… just deep in thought.

I couldn't hide my frown now. He had noticed the changed in me, what else did he see? It was hard not to respond to him but I swallowed up my conscience and ignored what he said.

We stayed like that for the rest of the walk. Constantly, there were girls turning to check Dimitri out, and some would engage a conversation. Of course, I was his rescuer, telling him that he was not interested. When I did that, he would only give me a nod—his face void of all emotion. And as for me… guys were following. They didn't have the balls to talk to me when I had a very tall and gorgeous Russian beside me. I ignored all of them, just hoping they would get tired of me and stop following.

"Rose, I hope you wouldn't do that again," he said all of a sudden when we were going up in an elevator, alone. Lissa and Mia were, unfortunately, at the top floor. I think they were trying to avoid interrogation from the _Victoria's Secret_'s owner.

I looked at Dimitri in surprise. He looked back at me with an intensity that sparked bits of fire and electricity through my skin. I refused to shiver at this.

"You're my instructor," I told him like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You shouldn't be _hoping_, you could give me a direct order, you know?" I said this because it was the truth, he was my instructor and he had every right to control me. Er, not _every_ right, but you get what I mean, right?

Dimitri shook his head slowly, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I don't want to interfere with your personal life." _Ouch_. "Even though I am your instructor, I cannot just order you to estrange your attraction to one boy." Well, that wasn't what I was expecting. I had expected him to scold me, and order me to stay in my room for a week so I couldn't see Mason anymore. Too bad.

I looked at Dimitri. Really looked at him. His dark eyes held nothing but honesty and sincerity. No jealousy there. Damn. It's maybe he was just good at hiding his emotions or he just found my attempts to lure him to me a pity. Either one of those would be better rather than my last guess—he was just not that into me. The thought of that just made me want to pull my hair out of their follicles.

"Don't look so disappointed," he said before the elevator's door swung open and the people's chatter filled the silence. My jaw went slack but I kept it shut a second later. I was astonished at how he could read me, I had been sure that there was not one emotion on my face! I have the feeling that he might be reading my mind or something like that.

We found Lissa and Mia with the other guardians and some novices in a—not again! —lingerie shop. Why did they have to keep coming in these freaking sexist shops! I stiffened and tried my hardest to keep away the panic from my face. When we got inside, Lissa strolled to me and pulled me by my arm.

"There you are, we were looking for you." She told me and practically hauled me to where Mia was. She was looking at little bits of lacy nothings—insert shudder there—and bikini.

I looked back at my mentor with a panicked expression and he cracked a smile. I silently pleaded at him to get me out of this nightmare.

"—stubborn. You _need_ to have these!" Lissa squealed, setting me back into the damned reality.

I looked at what Lissa was holding and I nearly fainted. Not from delight but from horror. It was… the thing didn't even look like anything! It was… too small… and… _I don't freaking know!_

"Uh," I snatched the thing away from her hands and looked around me. The novices, Dean and Stas, were trying to hide their smirks, and a few guardians were pursing their lips. I felt my face heat up when I saw Dimitri. He was still there where I left him, a very small smile tugging on his lips. I looked back at Lissa and Mia who had puppy-dog eyes that I couldn't… _resist_.

"No thanks," I told them and crumpled the thing in my hands and went to put the piece of cloth under the others. I heard a chuckle. My head snapped up and saw that a guardian was chuckling. When he caught me looking at him, he gave me a small apologetic smile.

I sighed and confronted the girls.

"You know that I hate these stores, why do you keep coming back?" I asked the two of them, glaring.

"Oh, is that why you burned the store downstairs?" Mia asked in a low voice that was only meant to be heard by me and Lissa only.

Lissa laughed but it sounded uneasy. I glanced at her and she looked paler than usual. Paler than before, if that was even possible. She and Mia had paled a while ago when they discovered what I did to the infuriating saleswoman but this color of her skin looked sickly and clammy. Like there was no blood to color her up.

"Are you okay, Liss?" I asked her, taking her hand in mine. It was clammy and cold against my warm skin.

Lissa nodded and smiled, but I could see that the uneasiness never left her. I dropped her hand and I could sense dread. It was my own.

"Okay, how about this?" I was relieved that Mia changed the topic. She was holding a black corset blouse, not too revealing.

I smiled at her, hoping it was convincing. "That looks great."

Mia beamed and I heard her heart race. Huh, that was odd.

"Are you guys up to something?" I asked them a while later when they were picking all kinds of clothes up. I even agreed to let them buy me a too small Grecian mini dresses. I felt like I was their brunette Barbie guinea pig and they were the dressmakers.

Mia was the one who answered first. "We're trying to hook you up with…" she trailed off.

"Somebody," Lissa offered and she grinned. It was small and innocent… and uneasy. What the hell.

I shook my head at them, still disbelieving and slightly grossed out. "You have an ulterior motive, I think." I noted silently and followed them to the cashier to pay.

I went to the front door to conduct a small patrol, just to show the guardians I was doing my work. Clearly, there were no Strigoi in sight or in hearing distance. That was a good sign but the dread inside me seemed to increase more. I closed my eyes and rubbed my head, I was slightly tired from whatever I had done the past days and I haven't been able t sleep straight. Never had I been able to feel this stressed out. Now, I felt how normal people felt when they were in these situations. Sucks to be them, but now, it sucks to be me.

~~~*****~~~

It was still an hour until we were about to leave and I was excited. Excited to leave, that is.

We were headed toward a guy store with the annoying Pyromaniac. If it wasn't for Dimitri with me, I would have burned his cocky little smirk by now.

Christian made an obnoxious motion with his hands and his smirk widened when he saw me glaring at him. "Welcome to the guy's world, Rosalie."

Ugh, that freaking bastard.

I faked a smile and stepped on his foot hard when I got inside.

"Ouch," he said but it was barely audible.

I could see why Christian told me why this was the guy's world, the things were all for guys. Even the saleswomen. They were wearing tight black halter tops and skimpy shorts with killer heels. And, not so surprising, they were all blondes with tans and big boobs.

Seriously, could humans get any more realistic?

One woman approached us. She was very skinny but her chest looked like they were balloons under her very revealing top. She had bony legs and her breastbones were sharp, it looked like it could cut. Her throat had many lines, indicating that she was on her late thirties now. Oh, ha-ha.

I looked at her face, and no surprise there, she looked like Pamela Anderson's clone.

It took all my will power not to burst out laughing. As I had expected her to, she approached Dimitri and lightly trailed her fingers on his cowboy duster.

I saw Dimitri cringe a little but didn't react.

"Hey there, cowboy," the woman said in a seductive voice. I didn't feel jealous or anything, my throat was just tight from my laughing restraint. "What is a giant of a man like you doing in a place like this?" she purred and leaned into him, squishing her silicon-injected boobs on Dimitri's arm. I saw him cringe again.

I covered my laugh with a cough. The woman shot me a look. It was friendly and it wasn't faked either. Just under those harlot-ish exterior was a good spirit.

"Are you okay, dear?" she asked me but didn't move away from Dimitri.

"Dandy," I choked out and Dimitri shot me a pleading look.

The woman nodded and turned back to Dimitri. "So, honey, I was wondering if—"

"Hey, Dimitri, I'll just leave you there, okay?" I told him and his eyes widened in panic. I winked at him. I turned back and looked at a rack of magazines, not really seeing what they were but I just listened to the woman and Dimitri's conversation.

"So, you're name's Dimitri, huh?"

"Yes," Dimitri said curtly.

"That's a wonderful name; it suits somebody big like you. My name's Pam, by the way."

Oh, not far off from Pamela Anderson, too. I chuckled on where I was. I was aware of Christian sifting through some stuff but I didn't really care. I listened to the duo harder.

"Some guys think dusters are old-school but it's really not." _Yeah, it's really not._ "I think they look _hot_." Whoa, talk about déjà vu.

"Yes, it's hot when the weather is sunny." If I didn't know better, I think Dimitr just made a joke.

I snorted out a laugh and covered my face with the magazine I was holding.

Pam laughed a low and seductive laugh. "So, what can I do for you, Dimitri? Do you need condoms—oh, is that what you're here for? I don't think any size would fit yours here!" Pam sounded devastated and she _tsk_ed.

"No…" Dimitri said and I could feel that he was on the verge of running out of the store.

"Oh? Then what do you need?" Pam asked more to herself than to Dimitri. I could hear some plastic shifting and shuffling. "Ah, here it is! You're size! This still came from Europe, _L'homme Grande: for the gentleman who requires extra personal space_."

I couldn't help it anymore, I burst out laughing. Dimitri and Pam's head snapped up to look at me. I waved the magazine at them, excusing.

Pam's eyes widened. "You like that? I didn't see you as one who likes their same gender." Pam noted and smiled at me. "Don't worry, it's alright, darling. I'm not here to judge."

I looked at the magazine and I swear my eyes burned at the cover.

"Oh, ew," I dropped the magazine back to where it was before.

I heard a low chuckle. It was from the bastard, Dimitri.

He was looking at me while Pam introduced many kinds of plastic thingies to him.

I smirked at him. "_L'homme Grande_," I mouthed and pointed at his crotch.

His lips tightened and his face darkened. From blood. Dimitri Belikov was BLUSHING!

So far, this was the funniest experience I ever had.

~~~*****~~~

At long last, the freedom I had been awaiting for!

We were at the car park by now and it was fifteen minutes until four o'clock in the morning (human time). The guardians and the novices were closing in now; we were just near our van when I heard something. And smelled something… unnatural.

I stopped dead on my tracks, maybe panicking a little, I don't know why.

I heard something scratching on my ears. It was the earpiece.

"Hathaway, what's wrong?" It was Alberta.

"I don't know, I kind of have this weird feeling." I told her. No, it was just not a weird feeling. I knew what these were.

I felt a hand on my elbow. I quickly glanced back. It was Dimitri, wearing a slightly concerned expression. There was no trace of his earlier chagrin back at the store.

"Rose, what's wrong?" he asked me in a low voice.

I should have swooned or fainted at that moment but the dread in me burst into full blown fear.

The fear wasn't for me, though, it was for my friends.

Deciding what was the best, I told him, "They're here,"

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**Ooh, cliffie! Please tell me what you think!**

**ATTENTION: I need funny ideas and some witty quotes that fit Rose or anyone in VA! I'm not good at them and I really need HELP!**

**I will update soon!**

**Love lots, **

**Kate :D**


	17. Swear Words

**Sorry for not updating so long. I had been busy reading witty books and guess what? I learned. A little. :D**

**NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE ****TRUTH OR DARE**** SO PLEASE GIVE ME SOME IDEAS!**

**I want to give some shout outs to the awesome people who took time to review my story!  
**

**DuskyGurl**** , ****GuardianD**** , ****Me and Dimitri 4ever**** , Vampiregirl11011, ****xXGh0stXx**** , ****Lucia Rayne**** (with special thanks!), ****angeldaemon123****, ****I.****, ****ruthless527****, ****.****, ****SuperStreet****, jaycorkatbai, ****ashleighalexanderX****, ****Tilllie****, ****Belikov's-Girl****, ****FirWolf777, Murfdizzle, 'If U Hate It-Bite Me', Midnight Equinox, unnz4, ladypeace422, Omigoshness, .., I Love My Russian ****Jailer, ****vampiresrockroza****, jenn, ... , Dikent, DimkasDhampirx, & rose_roxs**

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**Chapter Fifteen**

**Swear Words**

It was at the same time I said it when they came out. There were six of the, few (for me) but they had buff. I could sense that they were old and powerful. This would be difficult without my powers.

The first one, I assumed as the leader, was very tall and he had dark hair that went down to his shoulders that reminded me of Dimitri's. He made welcoming gesture with his hands but it was pretty obvious he was far from being the most welcomed person in the world. Or the welcoming one, that is.

He looked like a Moroi when he was changed. It was like everybody was entranced by his arrival because they weren't moving an inch. I looked around for Lissa and Mia and other Moroi, readying myself to fight this six Strigoi out by myself.

Lissa stood there at my back, clearly shocked, frightened and frozen in place. Christian was instantly there beside her, no smug smirk on his face. He looked at me and gave me a small nod. I was a bit confused about what that meant but anyway, he acknowledged me.

Eddie moved so he was in front of Mia in a protective stance, his face was unreadable but he was raging inside. The other novices were getting ready, shifting on to cat stances while the guardians tensed and stood still, waiting for the first blow to be initiated.

There was no first blow though. It looked like the Strigoi weren't here to fight for blood. His eyes were scanning around and it landed on me.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise this is." The Strigoi said in a surprised voice. "The Asian dog's puppy." He said and my fists clenched tightly and my body radiated heat. I was a bit relieved that he didn't mention who I really was. I guess he deserved a thanks—I'll shorten his torture.

My eyes flicked up to him in a glare. My shades were long gone by now, I was afraid it might burn in front of the people. The Strigoi had a smug smirk on his face like he had something he knew that I didn't. It made me want to rip him slowly, skin after skin.

I sneered at him, appearing haughty. "And look what the cat dragged in," It was clear that none of the humans were around the place so I looked back at Christian, signaling him to fire or do something useful. It looked like he understood me because he smirked again and then blew fire from his hands. It was just through sheer luck that the cars fueled with petrol around us didn't explode.

With the helpful offense the Pyromaniac pulled out, the Strigoi were distracted. The guardians didn't bother to chide Christian for using magic but they attacked at full force.

The one I assumed as the leader was now shrieking and on his knees, burning. I finished his misery by staking him square on his heart. With that, he crumpled to the ground without a sound.

Within a second, I was up and fighting a huge Strigoi. He looked like a dhampir when he was changed; no human could be this big. I thought that it would be so easy man-handling Strigoi but it was a bit challenging especially for this kind of Strigoi. This was an old one, ancient and not easily killed.

The Strigoi was skilled and I got a few hits on my ribs and kidney. I was about to pull of one of my famous karate moves when something hit my knees. I was sent sliding to the ground but that didn't fail me from taking the Strigoi with me. I readied my stake while I was falling and the Strigoi didn't expect much from a falling dhampir. His mistake, I wasn't a dhampir. He would have known that because I was sure that they knew who I really was.

The stake was jabbed squarely on his heart when I heard a loud and clear crack.

"_Fils de pute_!" the words went out of my lips without my conscious permission. The back of my skull was hurting badly and I didn't know what to fucking do about it! I have never been in this much pain before.

"Rose?" Instantly, somebody was beside me, pulling my head up slowly.

I couldn't resist the urge to slap the hand out of the way when my head just ached worse. "Get your filthy hands off me, Elmo!" I practically screamed at the redhead beside me. He dropped his hands and cowered back.

"Rose," another voice started. I was still closing my eyes because of the pain but I was sure it was Dimitri beside me. "What's wrong?"

"My head just fucking thundered like lightning!" I exploded and opened my eyes to peer at him. "Do you have to ask?" I never ever knew that I had this other side of me, foul-mouthed and irritable. I was always composed and calm but this was way beyond my eighteen years of living with sensei.

He gave me a disapproving look but he slowly brushed my hair out of my face. He carefully held the back of my neck in one hand with the other supporting my shoulder. I bit my tongue to stop myself from screaming in hurt but the subconscious part of me was firing out numbers of swear words. When I was sitting up, it felt like invisible sledge hammers were pounding at the back of my fucking skull. I closed my eyes tightly and clenched my jaw so that no more foul words could come out of my mouth.

Unfortunately, the new, foul-mouthed Rose doesn't take orders from anybody. "Son of a bitch!" I growled and clutched my head.

"Rose?" I heard Lissa ask, panicking. I looked up to her and she looked very worried and concerned.

"Are you alright, Rose?" Mia asked, crouching next to me. Lissa followed.

"I'm fine," it took every ounce of my will to hide the agony on my voice. Sharp pain stabbed at the back of my skull again and the swear word button on my mouth was pushed. "_Saint-baise jésus_, this can't be fucking serious." I said as realization hit me.

I had fallen.

I had fallen because of a Strigoi.

I had fallen because a Strigoi tripped me during our fight.

Without proper consent from where it had been, fury washed through me like a tidal wave threatening to drown all the people around me. Especially Strigoi if you could even call them _people_. Damn them. Damn them to the deepest part of Hell and burn their bodies mercilessly.

"Rose, we have to move. The humans will notice us." Dimitri told me in a hushed tone.

Shaking slightly with rage, I pushed Dimitri away and stood up on my own, slightly shaky from the blow on my head and the raging fury that burned within my veins.

I looked at him when I finally balanced myself. "I'm fine, okay?" I told him in a, I hoped, a reassuring tone.

I was aware of other guardians calling up the nearest alchemist to clean up the Strigoi mess. I panicked.

He seemed taken aback at my panicked expression. "What's wrong, Rose?"

I shot him a dirty look. "I'm growing weary of that question. How about 'Rose, do you need anything to relieve the pain for your fucking head?' I think that would be _nice_." I was lying practically and I had enough luck that it sounded like the truth.

The alchemists… damn, they didn't like me. Well, _didn't like_ would be too mild a word to wrap up their antagonism against me. You must be curious why but even I don't know why they do. Maybe it's some kind of catechetical way to figure out whether that _individual_ was an enemy or not. In my own views toward the alchemists, they were just hypocritical golden tattoo-bearers who only saw the world in black and white they couldn't see the shades of grey anymore. I would _have_ agreed on their reference of the world being _only_ black and white but my head just cracked into half so I couldn't really blame myself for changing my mind a bit.

"Did she just, like, fall?" the words were like putting a gasoline on open fire.

I whirled around and found myself looking directly at laughing amber eyes.

I crossed my arms across my chest and sneered at the girl that I was looking at. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be back at the academy screwing half the boys in school."

"Rose," Dimitri's voice was as sharp as my dagger's point. I didn't acknowledge him and I took a step forward toward Kathy. Mia and Lissa flanked me uneasily.

"Oh," she wore an innocent expression and frowned prettily. "How can you say that? I haven't even had to do that _thing_ you're saying."

"How lies easily slip out of your tongue, Kathy Lesdaux." I told her in my best scary-calm voice that made everyone flinch.

She didn't seem fazed but I could see through her. She was battling between angering me more or to leave the fire to eat itself. Unfortunately, she had too much pride in her to resist giving a comeback. "Why? Haven't you been fucking more boys than me?" the tone on her voice gave her out.

"Was that an admission?" I asked her, tilting my head to the side despite the throbbing pain at the back of my head.

Her face and neck flushed bright red and her amber eyes turned hard as stone. She didn't say anything and she impressed me by her control.

"Miss Hathaway," a guardian behind her said sharply. He was a short guardian with caramel colored skin and pale grey eyes which made him look scary. "Do you talk like that to a Moroi?" he asked rhetorically and his eyes practically bugged out to let me see how scary it looked.

I lifted my shades and cocked a brow at the guardian.

"Apologize to the lady!" he ordered in an obnoxiously bossy voice.

I would have snapped, "_She's not a lady and she definitely doesn't deserve _my_ apology_" but I feared for the man's heart problem if I would. He looked like a perilously sick man despite of his job.

"Sorry, _lady_." I said petulantly.

"Miss Hathaway that is not a proper apology."

"It's as good a one as she's going to get," I snapped at the guardian and he looked like he was going to have a stroke any second.

I ignored his words of indignation about Moroi being respected and turned around to see my mentor.

His face was blank. Utterly blank which meant that I was in trouble. I panicked at that but a small, small part of my brain was saying _maybe_. He was looking at me along with the other students and guardians. They weren't moving or breathing either.

"What?" I asked them, raising my brow up but failed miserably. "Did I just grow two horns on my head and a scaly tail or something?" I asked them but they just looked more stricken at my absent question. "Aw, come on, people!" I said, exasperated. "Did your brains just melt and turn into oatmeal?" I know, that was a lame comeback but I still thought wittiness was the best medicine for my aching skull and for their grained brain.

"People!" a loud crack thundered as I clapped my hands together to get their attention. It did and now they were looking at me in… eh, I don't know but it gave me the willies. "Double time! Hide the Strigoi bodies there at the back of the mall's woods and let's go before our precious _Moroi_ gets burns on _her_ perfect white skin!" I meant the Moroi there was Kathy.

And that brings me back to my question. Why was Kathy here?

I kept that question bottled up inside my pride-driven self as the guardians hid the bodies and we drove back to the academy.

***Back at the Academy***

"Kill time before Dimitri drags me to his room." I told the guys (Mia, Lissa, Eddie, Mason, Stas, and Christian) during our dinner. I was sure that Dimitri was going to punish me.

Christian drank the last of the remnants of his drink from a bottle and held it up high with a mischievous smirk on his face. "You sound hopeful about that,"

"Shut your fucking pie hole, Ozera, or I'll do it for you." I snapped and took a seat next to Stas.

Everybody was laughing at my retort but Christian just looked more mischievous than before.

"Who wants to play spin the bottle?" Christian asked with an evil laugh.

Everybody groaned in unison, "Nobody."

Christian shrugged. "How about truth or dare?"

Before anybody could react, I said, "Game on, pal."

Lissa gasped. "Rose, you don't want that." She warned me and everybody laughed nervously around me.

"You're playing," I told Lissa with finality. "Everybody's playing," I told them in my bossiest voice.

"Okay!" Christian jumped slightly on his seat and his eyes glinted evilly.

Everybody stiffened around me but they joined in.

"I'm first." He rubbed his hands together and smirked at me. "Okay, Rose, being a newbie in the school and all, you get the honor to be the first one for the choice, truth or dare?"

Truths were only for losers, I told myself. "Dare,"

I heard everybody's heart rate increase and excitement and nervousness was thick in the air around us.

"Good choice," he told me and he looked at me with half-lidded eyes. "I dare you to dance in your underwear that Lissa and Mia bought you in Belikov's room."

Great, just great.

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**Hey! Hope you enjoyed Rose's "change of mouth."**

**I'm going to need life-threatening dares and truths for their game! HELP ME! PM me or review if you got them!**

**I'll update soon if I get ideas!**

**Love lots,**

**Kate xx**

**P.S. For the people who read my other story Beautiful Stranger, I will be updating tomorrow!**


	18. Truth or Dare

**Thanks for the awesome reviews guys! Special thanks to Lucia Rayne (Jaz) again!**

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**Chapter Sixteen**

**Truth or Dare**

"Yeah… wear that _one_." Christian pointed at the clingy lacy red corset and thong that I had tried my best to hide from him. Unfortunately, Christian had great eyesight. **(Pic on profile)**

I swallowed the bile that threatened to burst out of my mouth. I held up the pair and I visibly paled.

"Aw, don't be so modest, Rose." Christian said with a very evil smirk. I wanted to wipe it off with my fist. "You know you like that," he pointed out, wiggling his brows.

"Yes, I do." I told him haughtily. I would not _dare_ show Christian that I was afraid of his dare. "Should I strip off my clothes in front of you?" I asked him and made a move to remove my shirt.

He rose from his chair quickly and looked the other way. "Hurry up before Belikov gets here." Was all he said before running out of Dimitri's room.

Lucky enough for me, I had to wait for him before I do the strip tease. Oh, yeah, Christian changed it from dancing to strip tease by the way and me, being the pride-driven woman that I was, agreed to it. I just hoped that Dimitri would stop me before things get too physical.

"And you're dancing Tainted Love!" he called out and I heard his footsteps retreat.

"Great," I sighed in resignation and used my speed to fix up the things. Music, check. Lights, check. Video camera that Christian insisted to bring so he could see my humiliation, check. Corset with the lacy thong, check.

I still couldn't hear Dimitri's footsteps nearing but I knew where he was. He was looking for me. He was in the cafeteria.

"… any of you seen Rose?" he asked.

"She was looking for you not long ago." Damn Christian and his liable tongue.

"Oh, thank you." Thank Dimitri and his polite Russian heart, he didn't question more.

"She said something about going to your room to find you!" Christian called out in a loud voice that rang clearly inside the cafeteria.

Next up for my truth or dare was Christian. Let's just see how he'll cope.

I lounged at Dimitri's bed nervously, fiddling the red corset and adjusting the small thong that I was wearing. His footsteps were calm and clearly composed like he expected nothing out of the ordinary to happen. Guardians these days were naïve to the teen world.

I heard his entrance and the matron greeted him.

"Someone is waiting for you upstairs, Guardian Belikov."

I heard the air whistle sharply and I figured he just nodded.

Oh damn, oh damn! I don't wanna do this! I whined to myself and I writhed at Dimitri's bed. It was bad enough that I had to endure the shame of falling head-first back at the mall's parking lot. Rose, you are a _dumbass_!

His footsteps stopped. He was at the door and it was cracked open.

I didn't give myself time to register my nervousness and whatever I was feeling—I just turned on the music. He slowly opened the door and popped his head inside. I spun around on the balls of my feet and shimmied, appearing to look naughty and sexy at the moment while I repeated over and over to myself, "You're sexy, come one, babe! Shake it!" but it didn't do any good.

Dimitri's perpetually impassive face turned abruptly surprised. Then slowly morphing into the man that was hidden inside. The man that had feelings, the man that was practically drooling and lust-driven. His eyebrows rose until it almost touched the top of his head.

I danced, ground, and blushed furiously while I walked to him slowly, still on the balls of my feet. Mia said it made girls look sexy when they did that. I ran a hand through my hair until it was sexily messy and leered at Dimitri. He was still at the door and I caught his hand and pulled him inside quickly and locked the door behind us. His arousal was thick in the air, I could smell it.

_This is it_, I told myself and sexuality practically rolled off me.

Dimitri looked at me from head to toe and he licked his lips either from nervousness or from lust.

I silently hoped it was from nervousness because if it was from lust I should be jumping on him now and he couldn't stop that.

I took Dimitri's hands and ran them through my body. Starting from my face (face hot from blood), to my shoulders then just to the curve of my breast. His hands were warm when it made contact with mine so that meant only one thing.

I started unclasping my corset but something in him snapped that totally scared the _merde_ out of me.

He took hold of my hands that were unclasping the corset and pinned them to the sides. The look of craving, lust and desire turned into concern.

I think it was the first time that I thanked God for his self-control.

"Rose, let's talk," he said and let me sit down on his bed while he pulled out a shirt from his closet and tossed it to me. "Wear that, please." He pulled out a chair from the corner of his room and dragged it until he was in front of me.

I pulled on his shirt and patted my hair back. His shirt smelled spicy from his aftershave and it…um, kinda turned me on. The song on my iPod was done now and it stopped.

I looked at Dimitri, putting on an innocent expression.

The previous man there was nowhere to be found, there was only concern on his face.

"Rose, I know that you must be distressed about what happened earlier and that is why you're doing this." He told me in his guardian voice with a little hint of concern. "This isn't a good way to avoid what had happened earlier at the mall. It is always hard during your first kill—kills." He told me and took my hand and gave it a little squeeze.

I was stunned. There was no other word to describe what I was feeling but stunned, although flabbergasted and stupefied wasn't too far off. I wanted to confirm my innocence by telling him that this was not about what happened earlier at the mall, but I wasn't stupid enough to deny his assumption. It was a good one rather than telling him the truth of my dare.

I squeezed his hand back and I smiled—I hoped—a pleasant smile.

"Thanks," I told him and looked down at what I was wearing now. I didn't like to take it off, afraid he'll harass me but it wasn't such a bad idea. NO! Rose, he's your mentor, dammit! "Thanks for talking. I needed that." I stood up from his bed and gathered my stuff.

"Rose, if you ever have troubles about what had happened, don't hesitate to approach me. Talking wouldn't help that much but it's as good as nothing." He said when I was at the door. I was a bit surprised that he didn't claim his shirt back from me but I wasn't dumb to give it back to him. I loved his shirt; it was big, comfortable and fragrant.

I had a smile on my face when I was escorted back to the cafeteria by him. I already knew who my victim for the next dare was. Christian. He'd better watch out. When we opened the cafeteria's door, there were only a few people left. I marched to where my group was huddled up, giggling and a little bit tense. When they saw Dimitri at my side, they stopped their laughs and straightened up on their seats.

"Hey, guys," I greeted them with a sweet smile and slipped in to the seat next to Stas. "What were you all talking about?" I asked pointedly at Christian. He raised one brow up and just smirked.

"I should warn you all beforehand that it is an hour until curfew. Make sure you get all to your rooms on time so that you could get enough sleep. We will be moving to court first thing in the morning tomorrow." Dimitri told us before he left with a warning glance for me. I smiled at him then to everyone.

I tossed Christian's camcorder and he caught it easily and tucked it inside his jacket like it was the most precious thing in the world.

"Okay. Christian; truth or dare?" I asked him with an evil smirk of my own.

"Before I choose, would you care to take off that baggy shirt off you?" he asked me. I didn't dare refuse so I pulled off Dimitri's shirt with one last sniff on it.

The guys' eyes widened at the sight of what I was wearing. "Whoa…" they chorused and their eyes practically bugged out of their sockets. Testosterone was thick in the air, I know.

_Hormonal teenagers_, I grumbled to myself and arranged the corset absently. I peered at Christian and his smirk frayed at the edges a little.

"Wipe the drool off your faces, boys. You ain't seen anything yet." I told them. "Now that I took my shirt off, Christian; truth or dare?" I said in a naughty voice and leaned into him, purposely revealing my cleavage to him.

He glared at me and said, "Choosing only one are for sissies. I choose both." He said with an indignant raise of his chin.

A slow smile crept to my lips and I had the notion that I would likely be the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. "Good one," I leaned closer to him and Lissa beside him widened her eyes and stifled a giggle. "Truth. Who's Pam?"

His arrogant smirk was no more. "Who do you mean?"

I tapped a finger on my chin. "Oh, you know. The Pam you're always texting… the Pam that calls you every night… The Pam who knows what the size of your package is."

"I don't know who Pam is." Was all Christian said.

I smirked at him and stood up from my seat. "Oh, really? Then who were you hanging out at the mall with? The guardians? The novices?"

Lissa turned to Christian with a sharp gasp. She looked back and forth to us. I winked at her and she smacked Christian on the arm. "Answer Rose. Who's Pam?" she said in her best mean-angry voice. As always, Lissa wasn't good at being mean, but Christian—guilty as ever—took the bait and swallowed it.

"It's not my fault! She wouldn't take no for an answer. She took my number from my phone and called me every night! She told me if I don't go to the mall this week, she said she'd harass me and—and…" he swallowed and he looked sick to the core at that. "That's why I brought Belikov at Men because she wanted a new toy!" he turned to look at Lissa. "Honest to God, Lissa, I'm not with her anymore."

Everybody was quiet for a second then we burst out laughing at Christian's stupidity. I hadn't known that Christian and Pam was an item before… But it seemed quite true, noting that Pam wasn't the woman who always took no for an answer. It was a bit nauseating that Christian didn't deny that she knew the size of his package. Eh, seeing that she knew what Dimitri's size was too, she didn't have to look first-hand to know it. She was an expert, I think.

"Was yours _L'homme Grande_?" I asked him with an evil smirk.

He shook his head miserably and said, "_L'homme de petite taille_, she told me. I don't even know what that means."

I laughed out loud, nearly pissing myself. I knew enough of French to know what the meaning was.

"Okay, for the dare…" He looked at me with a placid face.

"You are so going to regret why you picked two." Mason piped in with a blinding smile. He looked at me with laughing blue eyes. "Look at Rose's face, so full of mischief and deadly promises."

I smiled at Mason. "True," I said and looked back at Christian. I could smell a little fear from him, salty and thick. "Four words for you, Christian. Gay kiss with Dimitri. Tell him you love him and make it believable. If you won't you'll get a punishment worse than this one."

His eyes widened in fury and shock. I shook my finger at him. "No complains," I told him with a disapproving frown and took my camera out of my bag, dangled it in front of him. "If you don't mind," I said and our group started moving to the guardian's building. It was still an hour until sunrise so we still had time. We were being sneaky, hiding in the shadows and cowering away every guardian appears. Eventually, we got to Dimitri's room without the matron or the guardians knowing we were there.

Christian looked around nervously and shot daggers at me. I just grinned at him. We hid at the corners of the hallway while Christian stood in front of Dimitri's door. It was obvious that he was trying to keep his composure to keep him from freaking out. Finally, he raised his hand and knocked quietly.

The door opened immediately, revealing a shirtless and disheveled Dimitri. I snickered quietly from where I was.

"Lord Ozera, what are you doing here?" Dimitri asked.

"Um…"—Christian cleared his throat—"Guardian Belikov—Dimitri…" he ran a hand through his hair and swallowed loudly. "From the first moment I laid my eyes on you…" he looked up to him with admiration in his eyes. "I could never think of another person to love except you." At the exact moment he stopped, Christian put, if not awkwardly, his arms around Dimitri's neck and kissed him while grimacing.

I snapped my camera like a crazy paparazzo. Everybody was containing their laughs from their places and what caught my attention was that Stas was stomping his feet like crazy. I caught a picture of him too and everybody around me.

"Lord Ozera," Dimitri's voice rang in the room. "I think it would be best if you give your devotion to the gender opposite of you. I'm sorry but I cannot reciprocate your feelings." With that, Dimitri closed his door, leaving Christian red and furious. He sharply looked at me.

"Are you in love with another girl?" he asked in a high-pitched gay voice. "Tell me who she is and I'll throttle her in her sleep!"

That did it, everybody laughed. They collapsed on all fours and heaved, laughed, rolled and clutched their stomach for air. They begged mercy, end this torture, it's so funny.

"Dimitri, I won't forget this! You can't get rid of me that easily!" Christian madena show of stomping his feet like those defiant girls on TV.

We heard a low mumble from inside Dimitri's room. "I'm sorry, Lord Ozera. I'm just not interested."

"This won't be the last of me that I'll promise you." Christian continued and he himself started laughing. "That was fun,"

"Oh, you like kissing boys?" I asked him, trying to stand up without laughing.

"No, the kissing part was gross but seeing how your face turn green when I kissed him was worth it." his smirk was back now. He walked toward Lissa and helped her up. "Don't worry babe, you're my one true love. Not that Guardian, not anyone, not even Rose." He told her, dipped Lissa and kissed her deeply.

Lissa pushed Christian away and wiped her mouth. "Ew, Christian! You just kissed Guardian Belikov! Do you want t pass some kind of adult sickness? Mononucleosis or something?!"

"Hey, guardians are physically stable and well, you know that." I defended.

They looked at me. "Protective much," Christian said with a knowing smirk.

"Whatever," I waved off his words. "Let's go to Lissa's room and finish our game."

***Lissa's Room***

"Stas," Lissa said. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare, as usual."

"I dare you to kiss Rose. On the lips."

I snorted. "Talk about déjà vu."

"It's not déjà vu, I'm doing this on purpose." Lissa told me and pushed me toward Stas. Lissa was still trying hard to let me hook up with somebody.

His mouth was cocked to one side. "Gladly," he said and took my chin in his hands while he leaned in close to me. His breath feathered my face and his blue eyes were all I could see. And then he kissed me. The usual happened, tongue battling for dominance and the works. His other hand massaged the nape of my neck—damn, that was my weakness. My knees got weak and I landed flush against him.

"That was hot," Eddie said while Mason glared at the guy holding me.

"Hey, Mase, don't look too sad." I told him and winked. "Your turn," I told Stas and slightly leaned away from him.

His eyes held mine for a second before he looked at Mia. "Mia, truth or dare?"

"Christian has a point for truth being a sissy choice. Dare,"

"I dare you to wear silly clothes for the next three days. The clothes' color in this order: purple, orange then green."

Mia frowned. "Sure, but I have been happier if it was more extreme."

Stas shrugged. "That was all I've got."

"Mason," Mia started. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare, of course."

"I dare you to give Stas a lap dance!"

"What?!" he screamed and I swear that I saw a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"Lap dance—Stas!" she stood up and turned on the music. It was Careless Whisper by George Michael and it was enough to make both Mason and Stas jump from their seats, resisting.

"C'mon guys!" I pushed Stas back down to his seat. "You won't be the one doing the dancing," I stood up from my seat and gestured for Mason to proceed.

As the music started, Mason had his shirt off and started dancing for Stas. I should admit, Mason dancing with his bare back was sexy and Stas blushing tomato red was more than funny. Mason purposely hit Stas's package with his knee as he grinded and danced into him, trying to sing along with the song.

"_So I'm never gonna dance again. The way I danced with you-ooh-ooh_…" he sang and I wolf-whistled.

Everybody was laughing at the top of their lungs while Stas looked away when Mason licked his face. Ew. Mason started to unbuckle the belt on his jeans and we laughed harder. Mason's jeans started to drop when the song finished. He hurriedly pulled it back on and it was my first time to see his face. It was as red as Stas's face and he was sweating.

"Eddie, truth or dare?" he asked the guy who was on his knees, laughing.

"Truth, man. Truth!"

"Sissy!" Everybody accused him.

"Hey, it's not a sin to avoid danger, right?" he defended himself.

"Is it true that you've been riding Mia since you were in seventh grade?"

Everybody's laughter got louder.

"What do you think of me? A perverted maniac? Of course not!"

Mia blushed, her face darkening to the color of dark red.

"No! It's not true. We only started during our sophomore year in high school! At least we tried! Not like you, virgin!"

"Oof! Sex is a virginal sin if you're not married!" I told them in my best sermon voice.

"Okay, everybody! The last draw!" Christian announced. "The last draw the we'll proceed to the finale."

"Lissa, truth or dare?" Eddie asked.

"Um, how about… truth. I finished a dare a while ago."

"Was it true that you were kidnapped by Strigoi weeks ago when we were back at your place in Washington?"

"Uh," Lissa nervously picked on her nails. She slowly looked up and scanned her eyes around us. Her gaze landed and on me and I gave her a small conspirator's smile. I knew what Eddie meant. It was the time when she had been kidnapped by a pack of Strigoi and I had been able to rescue her.

"Yeah," was all she said. Mia wrapped her arms around her and patted her back.

"So the finale!" Christian shouted. He stood on his chair. "Everybody, truth or dare?!"

"DARE!" we chorused except for Lissa.

"I dare you to ditch school rules and let's sleep over here in Lissa's room!"

"And all guys should wear revealing negligees!" I added and I magically popped the things Lissa had bought for me.

It was enough to make her laugh. She shook her head and just laughed, laughed and laughed.

***Nighty-night***

"G'night, everyone." I murmured.

"G'night, Rose." They replied.

I snickered when I heard somebody scratching their skin off. It was Stas.

"Not used to lace, Stas?" I asked him quietly.

"Nope,"

"You should be if you want a girlfriend. Some girls think it's hot,"

"Really? What kind of girls?"

"The uber-kinky ones."

"I don't like those kinds of girls," he told me quietly.

"What do you prefer?"

"Naturals. It depends whether they love me or not. The feeling must be mutual too."

"Ah, good choice and good night then." I told him one last time before leaning into him and closing my eyes.

I slept… only to be awakened by quiet whimpers.

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**CLIFFIE! How dare I stop it there! LOL :D**

**I hope you enjoyed Christian and Rose's chagrin.**

**I'll update soon.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate xx**


	19. Spit and Headlock Just Don't Mix

**Hey guys. I just wanna say thanks for the awesome reviews. Love you all.**

**:D**

**Enjoy this chapter.**

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**Chapter Seventeen**

**Spit and Headlock Just Don't Mix**

It was Lissa's whimpers.

My eyes snapped open and I found myself flung at a body. A warm, bulky body. I strained to open my eyes and the first thing I saw was lace. Pink ones. Ugh, I forgot that I was in Lissa's room in a sleep-over gone mad.

The memory of my dare made me shudder.

"No, please, don't…" Lissa's whimpers got louder. I sat up from where I was and found that Lissa was on her bed with Christian beside her, not naked luckily. "I don't want to go…"

Being a freak of nature that I was, I could see clearly in the dark. Lissa's cheeks were wet with tears and she was struggling to untangle herself from the blanket. I ran fast towards her and shook her shoulder.

"Lissa," I whispered to her. I shook her not too gently now. "Lissa, it's just a dream. You need to wake up."

"No… No! Not Rose! Not her!"

_What the fuck?_

"Lissa," I shook her again and her eyes fluttered open. Moroi, I knew, could see in the dark better than dhampirs so I figured she saw that it was me. But in her expression, I doubted it. She looked a hundred percent frightened, shocked… all those emotions. "Lissa," I tucked some stray hair behind her ear and wiped some of her tears. "You were having a nightmare."

She shook her head. "No,"

"Huh?"

"It wasn't a nightmare."

I suppressed a sigh of annoyance. "If it wasn't a nightmare, why were you crying?"

"It was a memory," was all she said before she willed herself to sit up from her bed. She didn't look alright, her movements were clumsy and drunk, that's for sure. She staggered to her personal bathroom and turned on the lights. Even though I could still see without light, I was horrified to _really_ see that she just wasn't crying clear tears. There was blood too.

I gasped and quickly caught her wrist. "Lissa, what happened?" I asked, looking pointedly at her cheeks where the blood was mostly there. I wasn't breathing, if you have wondered. It makes me more than a little uncomfortable to just have a small whiff of blood. Let's just say I didn't want to take chances.

"What?" she asked me absently and turned her head to look at her reflection in the mirror. It took me a second or two to realize that she had just collapsed and started sobbing again.

I crouched next to her and put my arms around her sympathetically.

"There, there, Lissa. It's okay. I'm going to get a tissue to wipe it away, okay?" I gave her a small pat on her shoulder and went to retrieve a box of Kleenex from her small cabinet. I knew I wasn't blind but I wondered why I hadn't been able to see where the blood had come from. It wasn't from her eyes, no. It was from her palms.

Her pale palms had four small curving cuts that were bleeding not as badly, but it was still a lot. It looked like Lissa had cut herself with her nails. I suppressed a sigh and cleaned up her palms before bandaging the cuts for each hand. I looked up at Lissa and saw that she was looking at me… just looked at me. No expression or whatsoever.

I took a Kleenex and wiped the tears and blood away from her face. She didn't protest, she didn't even blink. Just looked at me. Somehow, her stare raised a few hairs on my arms. It was giving me a weird case of heebie-jeebies.

"Lissa," I started. "Would you like to tell me what…what happened?"

She just stared. I don't even think she heard even one word I uttered.

"Lissa," This time, I shook her shoulder. No response. "Lissa, wake up." I shook her harder. Like there's more I could do? Lissa's face was—despite her already pale complexion—pale. She looked paler than usual, like there was no blood running in her system. If I wasn't hearing her heartbeat beat erratically right now, I would have thought she was dead. I gave her one last shake before cupping a handful of water from the sink and splashed it to her face. She blinked.

"Lissa," I crouched down next to her and wiped her face dry with a towel—not a Kleenex, the result would be nasty. She caught my eye and the only expression I could see there was sadness. "Lissa, tell me what did you see." It wasn't a request, it wasn't an order.

"You lied to me," she croaked. A flash of pain and hurt shot through her eyes but it was gone quickly, replaced by the innocent sadness again.

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't tell me." Every word she said, she looked wearier than before.

"What didn't I tell you?" I had a feeling that this discussion was going to be the one I will resent the most.

"Don't try to deny it, Rose."

"What am I _trying_ to deny?" It was a bad kind of miracle that I sounded impatient. I never got this upset so easily.

Then she looked at me. Really looked at me. Tears streamed down her face and the look of gratitude broke out. Without warning, she reached out and hugged me while she sobbed whispers of gratitude in my ears. My ears alone.

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be alive…"

So _that_ was it. She knew. She knew who I was. But…_ how_?

"Lissa, Lissa," I patted her back softly, trying to persuade her into quieting down before everybody heard us. Luckily, everybody there were all heavy sleepers. I haven't heard anybody stir.

She backed away from me, half-laughing and half-crying ruefully. "Sorry, Rose, I just get so emotional at times."

I ignored her—I was strictly into business now. _My life is at risk_, was my first thought.

_From who_? Some part of me wanted to know. _From Lissa? You gotta be out of your mind for thinking she'd endanger you. She's your best friend, for Pete's sake!_

The self-preserving part of me shoved that part of me away.

"Lissa," I grabbed her shoulder not too roughly. Or not too roughly for me, that is. I held her gaze squarely in mine. She looked taken aback but didn't say anything. "Tell me what you remember." I ordered her, adding a little compulsion. Just a teenie-tiny bit of it. Not enough to make her suspect I did something weird to her brains. Or not even enough to melt her brain into oatmeal.

"You saved my life." She whispered in a very quiet tone, I almost didn't hear it. _Almost_.

I almost lost my mind right there. In relief, I meant. Well, I couldn't celebrate yet. Too early for that. "Are you going to turn me in?" despite my earlier relief, I sounded… desperate.

She looked at me in—what you always call it—disbelief. She shook her head vehemently. "Of course not! Why would I? You saved my life. You don't deserve to be hunted down like the Queen is thinking you should be. You are my best friend, so that counts."

Her blatant display of disbelief made me incredulous. Yes, incredulous.

I leaned away. My mind was in heaps of jumbled mess and problems. I shook my head in incredulity and shot her a—hopefully not—dirty look.

"But I'm a monster." was all I said. This time, I didn't sound anything but sad. I was just feeling… I don't know. _Helpless_, maybe.

"No, you're not." Lissa reached out to me. I didn't bother moving away from her, it was just useless. "You're saving people's lives, that's all." Now, she was the one comforting me. This was _sooo_ unbelievable. Me? The Slayer was _vulnerable_? The thought was vehemently impossible that it made my head throb in pain.

"You don't understand…"

She shook her head. "Make me understand. I'll keep an open mind, I promise. I won't tell anybody too. Even Mia." She gave me a small, shy grin and held up her right hand up as a sign of honesty.

This time, I broke my walls around me that kept me up. All the pain, suffering and loneliness came crashing down. I curled into a small ball and let out the smallest sob. Just that one sob, it all seemed to tell Lissa everything because she didn't say a word and just put her arms around me.

All the pent-up emotions… they were the cruelest thing in the world. Nobody or not anything has ever hurt me this way before. Sure, sensei could use his fancy Asian tricks against me but I had my walls up to keep me from hurting. I had migraines from time to time but it didn't hurt much for me. I had been outside the protection from sunlight and it didn't burn that bad. It was all right because I had my walls up.

You see, these walls of mine aren't the same as what ordinary people have. Usually, you all have these walls to keep yourselves on check, or prevent yourselves from hurting or hurting _again_. If you ask me if mine was the same thing, my answer would be _hardly_.

These walls were the only thing in the world keeping me in check and if you've been wondering if I ever let these walls down before, the answer would be a complete no. Sensei had been warning me from time to time not to keep up my walls _always_. But guess what? I didn't listen to the old man. And look what happened.

Those thoughts made me feel worse than I already did.

"Hey, guys, what's with the waterworks?" a light, lilting voice asked not far from us. In fact, it was beside me.

I stiffened but didn't look up. I slowly tried to rebuild my walls up to keep my sanity. Or at least to look sane.

"Hey, Rose, what's the matter?" Mia asked and I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Is she alright?" she asked Lissa.

"Um… it's PMS." Lissa lied not too smoothly.

And another disadvantage for pent-up emotions—they made you say things you don't really mean. Make you say things I'd later regret. So for the hell of it all, I said quietly, "Tell her Liss."

"Tell me what?" Mia asked and I caught a small whiff of her scent. Somehow, I found that my senses had heightened. Er, just some of them, not all. Like my sense of smell. I wasn't so keen to smelling things before but now… I guess I could pass as being a bloodhound now.

I felt Lissa tighten her grip around me before she warned Mia. "We'll—or I'll tell you but please don't freak out."

"Hey, I'm not the one who easily freaks. I'm not like you. I'm a tough cookie." Mia replied, trying to lighten the environment.

"Rose is the Slayer." Lissa said under her breath but it was loud enough for Mia to hear.

I heard a low whistle beside me. "Should've known." I heard something sag down and a _pat_ indicating that Mia dropped on her butt.

"Welcome to the pity party." I said bitterly and wiped the tears that hadn't spilled from my eyes.

"Aw… don't say that, Rose." Lissa chided to me.

I looked up at Mia and she looked a little paler than usual but she looked okay. Except for her hair though, it was… er, _messy_. "You don't look too surprised." I blurted.

She looked at me and gave me a small smile. "It doesn't really surprise me." She said and continued, "You got one hell of a reputation. The way you impressed and intimidated guardians and students. Your first impression towards the royals, I couldn't help but… you know, _suspect_ that something's up with you."

I cracked a smile. I hoped it didn't look too miserable.

"The way you pack one hell of a punch." She continued in a light tone. "The way your eye color changes, your voice, too. It sometimes freaks me out. Gives me the willies." —she shrugged—"But all in all, you're not evil, Rose. That's all there is to it."

"And she's our best friend." Lissa added.

"Of course. It's very handy to have a Supergirl best friend." Mia giggled a little.

I looked down at my hands and smiled to myself. I was so lucky to have friends like these.

***First thing in the morning***

"Hurry up!" Christian shouted from the window out of Lissa's room. We were trying to escape from the guardian's notice that we had been sleeping over at Lissa's room. It wasn't easy to slip away from their sight, considering that there were tons of them roaming around the whole campus.

I slipped out of the window quietly and left the boys bickering. I jumped off the railing and landed—er, not really landed but stepped on the tree branch quietly. It was still three in the afternoon (human time) and it was the time that guardians were switching watches, so it was the easiest hour to slip in our own rooms.

And hey, I'm Rose Hathaway, I don't play by the rules. Never did and never will, that's a promise.

"Ouch! You stepped on my fingers, asshole!" I heard Mason say groggily.

"Then watch where you put them, dickhead." I heard Stas mumble. He sounded sleepier than Mason and I wonder if he wasn't sleep walking.

I looked back at them, hiding my amused smile. "I'll leave you boys there. I've done enough helping for all of you." I told them.

They looked at me in disbelief. "Who told you we, boys, need help? From a girl?" Christian said in an obnoxiously defensive and male voice.

I rolled my eyes and let myself fall from the tree which sent them into panic mode. I landed flat on the soles of my feet. "I'm fine." I said quietly, knowing too well that they'd hear it. I heard some footsteps approach. "Good luck giving excuses, boys." I called to them in a voice that only they could hear and hid before the guardian could see me.

"Good dawn, boys. I hope you had a good night there." Uh-oh, I suddenly felt guilty for leaving them there. It was the guardian that defended Kathy back there at the mall's parking lot.

"Uh, we were just—" Christian started but he was cut off by the guardian's overly friendly yet dangerous voice.

"Would you boys care if I escort you to Guardian Petrov's office?"

I could almost feel their defeat over this. They didn't say anything but I was sure that they were climbing down. With a last glance at them, I sped up to my room.

The matron to my dorm was asleep. She wasn't always like this… which was weird. She had to be the most alert matron at this time. She had Stephen King covered on her face as she snored distinctly. Snoring was one sign of heart problems… damn, all the heart problems with guardians now.

I made a _tsk-tsk_ noise while I shook my head.

When I was at my room, it surprised me that it was warm. My instincts kicked in and I heard a sneeze. From inside the bathroom. _My_ bathroom.

"C'mon! The chloroform lasts for an hour, yeah, but we shouldn't risk it. Hurry up!" a light, very female voice said from inside my bathroom. It smelled familiar, too. Expensive perfume… it was a _Conta_.

"Okay, okay… I'm just gonna pour this in and we're done." replied a quasi voice. I didn't really need a hundred brain cells to know who was inside my bathroom.

I tried to hide my delight and got out of my room, just seeing the person I needed to see. Dimitri was on full guardian mode. Er, alert mode, that is. When he saw me, he started running.

"Miss Hathaway, is something wrong?" _Are we back to that again?_

"Er…" I put on a sleepy and innocent look. "—somebody inhabits my bathroom, Guardian Belikov. It's not okay. It's—a completely atrocious deed for them to…" I stopped and dramatically made a wild gesture with my wrists, wringing them over and over again. "Can you, just, get rid of them for me?"

"Of course," the look on Dimitri's face was shocking. It didn't have anything in them but ferocity. He didn't stop when he opened my bathroom's door.

When Dimitri got inside, I heard two girls shriek.

"Excuse me, ladies, the matron was found unconscious downstairs and someone—whom also owns this room—reported that somebody had snuck into her room without any permission." Dimitri said in a voice so… _feral_ it made me jump out of my skin. Almost.

There was nothing to be heard inside except for their heartbeat. Both girls' heartbeats were wild and fast and Dimitri's were just pacified and strong… and a little faster than normal too which was unusual by the way. He rarely got this mad.

"We can explain, Guardian Belikov." Kathy said. But just before she said that, I knew what her plan was. They were trying to use compulsion. Or at least _she_ was trying to.

Luckily, Dimitri was immune to that stuff. From Moroi anyway.

"Save your explanation for the Headmistress." was all Dimitri said before he escorted the girls out of my bathroom. They looked frightened. The other girl, I noticed, was Camille. Hm, where was her twin?

Camille avoided my gaze but when Kathy caught sight of me, she exploded. "But that's not fair!" she screamed like an insane banshee. She ran her hands through her blonde wig and petulantly stomped her foot.

_Tell me something I don't know_, was my alleged reply. Silent, albeit.

"We shall discuss that arbitrary with the Headmistress." Dimitri said coolly but I could still see that he wanted to throttle these girls right now. Or rather he wanted to throttle _her_.

Kathy looked and me and pointed a long-nailed finger at me. "_You_," I was a bit taken aback at the venom on her voice. "_This is your entire fault._" She all but growled.

"This is none of her fault, Lesdaux." I was more taken aback at Dimitri's voice. It had risen and it sounded menacing. I looked at Dimitri and all I could say was _uh-oh_. He looked mad. No, the word mad couldn't even wrap it around. He looked murderous. And he just called Kathy by her last name_ only_.

_Well, that was fun!_

Not.

I was scared myself too.

Kathy looked away from me and her mouth gaped open at the sight of Dimitri. It was like she couldn't… she couldn't make out any of his feelings. She couldn't see how _mad_ the Russian was.

"What did you call me?" she hissed and glared at Dimitri with hard eyes.

"Lesdaux, as far as a guardian is concerned, we do not have an _obligation_ to call you _anything_ but your name or last name." he didn't elaborate and I was dying for him to continue.

"_You do not have the right to say that to me!_" Kathy screamed, and for once, I was scared of her. Uh, no, scared _for_ her. Okay, scared would be too strong a word, but hey, she just poisoned a guardian, barged in to my room, ditched curfew, and disrespected a well-influenced guardian. And, for this case, disturbed my beauty sleep, too, so she could be in _that_ trouble.

"Come on, Kathy, I already have insomnia. Could you do worse things than try to wake me up?" I asked her and they turned their attention to me.

She turned her glare at me. "_You_," she pointed at me. If she ever set that finger on me, she could guarantee it would be broken in no time. "You were _not_ here when I got in."

"Uh, if you haven't been too blind and excited, I was there—" I pointed at the open window that I always kept open. "—sitting and reading Kierkegaard." And I, at last, pointed at my copy of _The Book on Alder_ on my chair. I felt smug.

Her glare faltered a little but she held her ground. She held her chin high and did something I would have never anticipated from anyone with a guardian, or even company, with them.

She spat at me. Literally. She already did that twice now. But today, it was worse, I was too stunned to even move when it was coming. It hit me squarely on my chest.

Half a second later, I responded. Er, my body responded _impulsively_. With a movement so sharp, I slapped her across her face. And—I was _very_ smug to admit—pulled her wig with no effort at all.

Then ta-da.

Dimitri didn't even make a move to stop me and Camille let out a little shriek.

And all I've been waiting for: a cat fight.

But it didn't happen. This time, Dimitri made his move. It was so precise; you couldn't have seen it coming. He put Kathy in a headlock.

_Damn straight he did_.

Oh, I finally understood what sensei had told me about pissing a Russian off.

Hell hath no fury like a pissed-off Russian.

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**I hoped you liked this chapter… **

**Leave a purty REVIEW if you want me to continue.**

**Some of you must be wondering when they'll be arriving to Court. Next chapter's the answer.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate**

**P.S. I'll be updating BS tomorrow, if any of you wanted to know.**


	20. Wardrobe Malfunction

**Sorry, guys, if I misguided your hopes. At the last chapter, I had said that they were arriving at the court but they still didn't. They just landed at the court's runway in Pennsylvania. Not the Royal Court itself. It would still be on some following chapter (s). Several new characters are going to be introduced and maybe one of them would be in your "liking" list.**

**I'm giving y'all a choice for the next chapter: DPOV or RPOV?**

**RPOV consists the next happenings in Rose's and the gang's life while DPOV's would start from Rose and Kathy's confrontation to the jet.**

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**Chapter Eighteen**

**Wardrobe Malfunction**

Dimitri made the move efficient and looked at me like he was telling me something. The way his eyes darted from me to Kathy's neck… I had the impression that he wanted me to do something with the back of her neck.

_Ah_, I thought as I finally understood what Dimitri meant.

I tried hard to keep the smile away from my face when I summoned a needle from behind my ear then stuck it at the back of Kathy's neck. A little too hard than necessary, but not enough to impale her.

The bitch quit struggling and went a still as a stone.

We heard a scream. We looked up from our handiwork to look at a horrified-looking Camille Conta at the corner of my room.

"If you don't keep your mouth shut, I'm gonna have to bash your spine like what I did to Kathy's." I warned her with my best glare. She cowered back and didn't say anything

Dimitri made a short call to another guardian that he found the "suspects" and to help him escort them to the Headmistress. Was the Headmistress's office open at this time? I don't know was the answer. I had no idea if it was, but who cares? The only thing I cared was that the "female dog" Kathy would get the punishment she deserved. Dimitri shifted Kathy's still body until he was carrying her. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous at that. Nah, from the way he talked to her back there, I was sure he didn't have any interest in her.

A few seconds later, a guardian arrived. It was my first time to see this guardian. He was tall, but not as tall as the Russian beside me, and _hot_. Don't get me wrong, Dimitri is way hotter than this guy but I just couldn't help but appreciate his looks. He was what you call handsome in everyday life. His face was shaved and stubble-free, his eyes were dark green and his hair was cropped short dirty blond.

He took one look at his surroundings and shifted into guardian mode.

"What happened?" he asked Dimitri.

I heard Dimitri grunt. "Got inside in other novice's room." was his terse reply.

The other guardian shook his head and took the paralyzed Kathy away from Dimitri. Let me tell you, that kind of made me feel better.

"Kirova?" the blond guardian asked over his shoulder.

Dimitri nodded and held a hand to the frightened Camille. Camille hesitated; looking at his hand like it was a venomous cobra, and then shakily took it. She glanced at me quickly then gladly took off with the guardians.

Before Dimitri could get out, he told me, "Get some sleep Rose. We're travelling to court today."

"Sure," I called over my shoulder. But I didn't. Sleep, I mean. I killed my time packing my stuff up and picking the best clothes I had in my closet. I brought my important things with me including the trinket that sensei gave me and my Slayer stuff. I just hoped the academy's jets aren't metal-detective.

While I did that, my thoughts wandered off to Kathy. And Dimitri.

Why did Dimitri act so rashly and harshly towards Kathy? Not that I objected, but it was just weird that the perpetually pacified Dimitri Belikov would put somebody in a headlock. Not to mention a _Moroi_.

I would have loved to listen what'd Kirova do to Kathy but my instincts told me that I'd be better off not knowing. For some reason, I doubted my instincts.

***Hours later***

"That guardian—the one that defended that Lesdaux girl? Yeah. He brought us to Guardian Petrov and the look on his face? You should have seen it. The saying 'if looks could kill' popped into my mind. I swear if that saying had been true, I would have been roasted alive by now. It wouldn't have been too long before I'd die." Christian prattled on to Lissa. It wasn't meant for anyone else's ears but his exuberance carried his voice.

"Not true." I said out loud. "You're too stubborn to die." I told Christian and smirked.

Christian glared at me while Lissa tried her best not to laugh.

We were at the academy's jet by now and it wasn't long enough until our three and a half hours of travel would be over. I—along with the rest of the gang—was here at the academy's jet's first class section. It hadn't been easy to bribe the guardian who was guarding the door to the jet's royal section (first class—how hypocritical), but when you have the power of persuasive compulsion with a dash of wit, you get a free pass.

Our group now was chatting about the game last night. How they had fun, but not all of us were talking. It was mostly the boys. The boys were doing all the talking now? What happened to the world of girl's gossip?

I guess the world had tilted upside down because the three of us—Mia, Lissa and I—exchanged knowing looks and hid our smiles. They didn't know anything what happened last night.

It wasn't long until some guardians got inside the section we were in—checking if everything was alright. One of them was Dimitri. When he passed by our line of seats, I could sense his tension and uneasiness. I shot Christian "the look" then smiled at Dimitri. A second of holding our breaths, the boys cracked up laughing. Dimitri shot them a slightly speculative look… then memory dawned on him. I swear I saw his lips twitch to a very small smile before he ducked his head and walked away, his pace a little faster than usual.

"Love-struck people," I grumbled, making sure Christian heard it. Apparently, it wasn't only Christian who heard it, the people in our line of seats shot me both "shut up, please" looks and "you're insane" looks. The latter was from the gang and the former was from… various snub royals. I shot them my glare and they looked away at me, clearly frazzled.

I leaned back against my chair and made myself feel comfortable despite my military wool jacket. I had worn this on purpose just to annoy Lissa and Mia. I knew how much they disliked baggy military clothes, but they should give me credit—I got badges with them. Not fake ones but the real ones. Don't ask me how I got them because it would be too personal a question.

"Really, Rose." Mia sighed, exasperated. "What does that baggy jacket look like to you? A prima ballerina's tutu and flats?" Lissa made an agreeing sound from her throat. "Don't get me wrong, but I really love the shoes," The shoes I was wearing were four-inch high, studded with metal like a rocker's boots.** (clothing ensemble on profile)** I should admit myself; they didn't really go well with the military jacket I was wearing. "It's just that… it's just wrong for you."

I looked at Mia, confused. Or so my expression was. I got what she was saying; I was just pretending to be dumb.

"What do you have under there?" she asked me with a slightly troubled look on her cherubic face.

"Nothing," I joked but the look on her face said that she didn't appreciate that. I rolled my eyes. "Some people just don't have any sense of humor." She continued to look at me. "A shimmy," I joked again with a shake on my shoulders.

She turned on her full glare on me, which was a little weird. "I'm serious, Rose."

I rolled my eyes again. I swear if I'd do that again, I would never get my eyes back to its normal place. "You'd have to see it for yourself." I said indifferently and leaned back on my seat and closed my eyes.

It was seconds later that I heard a sharp whisper of wind. I automatically reacted; stopping the magazine from hitting me on the face with a small, insignificant motion with my hands. I opened my eyes, seeing Mia's face slightly flushed.

"Take that off or I'll force you out of it." Mia said in a deadly serious tone. I caught Lissa's gaze and she just nodded, daring me to oblige on Mia's command.

Normally, as a dominant-in-nature girl, I would've flicked off that direct order by fighting back, but I had hoped that my wearing a military jacket would provoke Lissa or Mia. It did.

So what I did was, stand up, dust off imaginary dusts on my jacket, and stalk towards the jet's rest room to pry off this tight, heavy military material off of me. I happened to walk by Dimitri—he was just standing there at the jet's rear—just near the rest room, too. I nodded at him as I brushed past him, his scent lingered on me for a while and it disappeared when I shut the rest room's door.

"Now," I said to myself and faced the rest room's not-so-big mirror. I quickly unbuttoned the jacket and started tearing off the tight material off me. I didn't know why wool was tight, I thought they'd be comfortable and fluffy, but this jacket? I think I won't consider ever wearing wool again. Or at least not to wear this jacket again.

The jet's jostling movements were helping neither my balance nor my progress on prying off the jacket. I would have torn this damn piece of cloth already but I didn't want to. This jacket didn't belong to me; it was from sensei—said it was "something special" for me. I didn't bother to question sensei's cryptic message—I was _too_ used to them.

It was three seconds flat when the academy's jet made a little jump. With that, I lost my balance—the four-inch heels not really helping me with that. I was trained to be graceful like a cat, yes. But on foot. With heels? They were just out of the question. I should try wearing them more often. Sensei had been forbidding me to wear them when I was still on custody with him. It was bad enough to bear with his annoying lessons.

Okay, back to the present. I didn't know what happened because my world just went into a _very_ fast blur. Even I couldn't react on time. The next thing I knew was—or heard was a thump. A loud one. I was sure it was very audible.

Curses slipped out of my lips. "Holy mother-fornicating poop." Okay, I had my swear word filter on, so that was good. I guess.

I rubbed my head where it thumped against the door and I swore again, the swear word filter off. The words were so rated PG that I, myself, didn't want to hear it.

Then I heard footsteps. I know you'd guess right who was that and what he'd say.

Cue to knock.

_Knock, knock, knock_. "Rose, are you alright?" Dimitri asked; worry lacing his slightly accented voice.

"No, I'm not." I pretended to grunt in effort. Well, I didn't really need to pretend to grunt. I was really tugging hard on the sleeves now.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

_How many times do I have to tell you that "I am growing weary of that question", comrade? _That was what I wanted to snap but held it back. My heels clicked like in the Wizard of Oz.

"Do you need help in there?" he asked in a softer tone.

I opened the rest room's door without warning and pulled him inside the claustrophobic room. "Yes, I need your help." I told him and held out my hands, looking pointedly at my sleeves.

"Oh," the place seemed to get smaller with Dimitri here. Then again, everything seemed so small with him around. He gently pulled on the sleeves but when it didn't move an inch, he pulled a little harder. This time, the jacket's sleeve moved a little. He held my arm at bay while he pulled on the sleeve with no visible effort.

My skin grazed a little with the jacket's contact but I didn't mind it. My mind was focused on the feel of Dimitri's hands on my arm.

I think I sounded like a desperate teenager. Do you agree?

When he finally succeeded to pry off the first sleeve, he looked up at me and asked, "Where'd you get this coat?"

"From my sensei." was my terse reply.

"It's very… _tight_."

I almost gasped. Talk about X-rated terms.

"Sorry. I hope it's not too small for you to take off." I told him, playing along. "You never got this verbal before."

He cocked his head to one side and proceeded to pull the sleeve out of my arms. It took more time for him to pull this one sleeve off but eventually, he did it. He handed me my military coat back and I swear his eyes settled on my chest for a wanton of a second before he said, "Nice outfit. Fits the weather here."

Wait—what was that? I didn't quite hear it! If I hadn't known better, I thought Dimitri just complimented me. Me—the Slayer.

"I had to wear it. I heard it gets really hot here during summer days. I'd like to do sunbathing." I had little physical antagonism towards the sun, mostly like dhampirs but the sun— without my special cream— don't fail to make me uncomfortable when I was directly under them.

"You should," Dimitri said when he glanced back to look at me. "There's a beach just a mile out of court. I could take you there if you like." He told me with a small smile.

I wide grin spread on my lips. "You don't mind?"

He shook his head. "Calling out for the rest of the week. Queen's orders." I was even more surprised that he told me that. "I don't really mind, Rose. I'd rather be out rather than stay inside—" he stopped and pursed his lips as if he had said something he hadn't meant.

I smiled at him and nodded, telling him I'd go.

I turned back to mirror and fixed my hair. He was still at the door, his dark eyes looking at my reflection. I followed where his eyes were and found that it was on my chest. Damn. If I had known that he liked my chest better, I would have worn something low-cut instead of a backless grey vest.

I smiled at him indifferently on the mirror, daring him to go out. I couldn't understand why his face was serious but he was looking at my chest. Finally, he relaxed. Kind of. And without a word, he went out, closing the door behind him.

I frowned and looked at my chest where he had been looking at.

It was still the first time too that I had seen what caught his attention.

It wasn't my chest.

It was my locket.

My heart race quickened and I looked at myself in the mirror. I had paled about four shades and sweat started to dew on the nape of my neck.

"ROSE!" someone shouted outside the door. The rest room's knob jiggled.

"Yes?" I said cautiously and I had to clear my throat before I could say something audible.

"Are you done yet?" The plane made a little floppy jump. "We're here! We have to go back to our seats within five minutes 'cause we're landing!" it was the first time I noticed that the voice was Mia's.

"I'm coming." I told her but I didn't feel like going out. "Be right there in a sec."

I did anyway.

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**So, did you like it?**

**Leave a REVIEW and if you wanna suggest, you can.**

**Who wants a DPOV for the next chapter? If you do, leave a review!**

**Love lots, **

**Kate :D**

**xx**


	21. A Lengthy DPOV

**The majority voted for DPOV. So, DPOV it is!**

**And like I had said before**—**I know that sensei is a Japanese term. The Mandarin is xiangsheng and I don't think I like to use that. Yeah, I just don't like to use that. I have a note; if any of you have been offended by my jokes or some of my curses, I am so sorry about it. Someone had reviewed me to stop writing "cowering like a gay" because it's disrespect to the homophobic. So… I'm sorry about it. Forgive me?**

**And a recap for the people who didn't know what the locket thing was all about. Remember my eleventh chapter? Pre Summer Invite? Yeah, if you read it carefully, you'll know why Dimitri was so weird about Rose's locket. Alberta gave Dimitri some kind of special "assignment" at that chapter. She showed Dimitri a locket with a label. If you wanna know what the label was, read the chapter again. It's italicized, hard to miss.**

**If y'all got more questions, please do put them in a review.**

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**Chapter Nineteen**

**A Lengthy DPOV**

I couldn't believe it. The girl that has been haunting my dreams was in front of me… half-naked. But somewhere at the back of my head, I knew that this was just a dream. A dream that I had been replaying many times this day. Or night.

"Belikov," I heard someone call my name. I met Guardian Sterling's silvery-grey gaze. "Can you check the dhampir dorms? I caught some novices sneaking out of one Moroi room just a while ago."

Guardian Sterling was one of the Moroi worshipers. He acted like a robot all the time. A robot set only to protect Moroi. Once he had lectured me about how Moroi were important to us dhampirs. He had said that our life (or his only) only consisted of one goal. And that goal is to protect Moroi not only from Strigoi but everything—charge or not.

You must have thought why he was in an academy instead of getting his own charge. It happened this way—he got his Moroi. He was not royal or anything special but just plain old Moroi. His Moroi didn't survive for even two months when he was the guardian. Sometimes I just understand why he was like that. If he was a better guardian than he was now, I would have understood him _all_ the time. I know that it wasn't moral to blame him for his charge's death, but I feel obligated to. He wasn't a really good guardian.

But despite all my thoughts about him inside my head, I only nodded at him and walked off to check the novices' dorm. I checked the woods if there were novices sneaking around and I this feeling at the back of my head that I was expecting someone. Someone who had been dancing inside my room—dammit Belikov! She's your student for Christ sake!

I momentarily closed my eyes and pressed my fingers on my temple to let out the memory—or the thoughts at the least. I knew full well that that was impossible to do, so I started walking again. This time, I had an eerie feeling. I quickened my pace and what do you know? I found the matron asleep. It was unusual and suspecting for matrons at these times to be drowsy. The matrons' shifts just changed not an hour ago which means she's supposed to be fresh from the bed.

I plucked away the book on her face and put it on the table. That's when I noticed a handkerchief. It wasn't wet but the smell was rotten—making me slightly tipsy. And then just beside where I put the book was a bottle of spilled chloroform. It hadn't dissolved so much yet so that meant it hadn't been there for long.

With a slightly fogged up mind added with building anger, I ran from hallway to hallway—trying to see if anyone had invaded some rooms or escaped. When I reached the second floor, I saw Rose. She looked sleepy and slightly confused.

I was about to say her name and ask her what was she doing out of her room at this time but stopped myself. "Miss Hathaway, is something wrong?"

"Er…" she hesitated and grimaced. "—somebody inhabits my bathroom, Guardian Belikov. It's not okay. It's—a completely atrocious for them to…" she stopped and made a wild gesture with her hands, and wrung them again and again. "Can you, just, get rid of them for me?"

At her information, my anger flared up. I knew I had no right to be, but… hell, those _people_ who were probably inside Rose's bathroom were the one who knocked out the dorm matron. It just wasn't what Rose said that made me angrier; it was because I had a hunch at who those _people_ were. And the chloroform I had inhaled didn't help me to calm down. I must've looked scary because Rose looked a little shocked.

I ignored her expression—the anger was taking its toll—and I practically flew to Rose's bathroom, not hesitating on opening it. My guess was confirmed when I saw two blonde girls pouring pink liquid on one bottle.

They heard me get in and they looked back before shrieking. Shrieks were natural to girls—I know, I had grown used to them considering I lived with my sisters most of the time—but the sound of them didn't make me feel any better.

"Excuse me, ladies, the matron was found unconscious downstairs and someone—whom also owns this room—reported that somebody had snuck into her room without any permission." I was a little surprised at how loud and scary my voice sounded, but I didn't care. These girls deserved a punishment and my face and lecture wasn't enough for them.

Despite my warring emotions, I stayed calm outside. The girls, I noticed, were one of the Conta twins (I don't know which one was) and the infamous Katrina Lesdaux. Both of them looked frightened. Even the fearless Lesdaux looked like she was about to wet herself.

I almost felt sorry for them.

Well, that was gone after I saw something dawn inside Katrina's eyes. She looked at me with persuasive amber eyes. "We can explain, Guardian Belikov."

"Save your explanation for the Headmistress." I snapped and they looked more troubled than before. I knew what they were thinking. They Headmistress was known for her _intense_ dislike to people who didn't follow the rules. Moroi or not, she looked at them the same.

I swiftly escorted them out of Rose's bathroom.

"But that's unfair!" Katrina screamed immediately, and did things that I didn't know that girls did.

I could almost sense Rose's humor at this.

"We shall discuss that arbitrary with the Headmistress." I said coolly despite my wanting to slap the girl to stop her from being hysterical.

Kathy looked at Rose and pointed a finger at her in a way that was making my anger flare more. "_You_," I wasn't too surprised at how acerbic her voice sounded. Rose looked like she did, though. "_This is your entire fault._" Katrina growled.

"This is none of her fault, Lesdaux." I told her, the warning in my voice not concealed. I didn't think about what Sterling would do if he heard me say this to a Moroi. I just didn't care. The fog on my mind was still there—I probably inhaled more chloroform than I had known because I was a little reckless on what I was doing.

Lesdaux gaped at me in a manner that was disrespectful to elders. Even though I was a guardian—hired to protect Moroi—I think I could kill one right now.

"What did you call me?" she hissed and glared at me with hard eyes. I wanted to poke those eyes until they pop out of their sockets.

"Lesdaux, as far as a guardian is concerned, we do not have an _obligation_ to call you _anything_ but your name or last name." I told her. That was the truth, her parents' status weren't any more important than a dish rag in the Moroi community.

"_You do not have the right to say that to me!_" Lesdaux screamed in front of my face. That almost did it, but I held onto calmness. Taking in Rose's presence and her optimistic attitude.

"Come on, Kathy, I already have insomnia. Could you do worse things than try to wake me up?" Rose asked and she sounded more tired than before. I looked at her and I could see dark circles under beautiful dark eyes.

She glared at Rose. "_You_," she pointed at Rose again. It was hard not to acknowledge the part of me that wanted to break her fingers. If not, her whole wrist. "You were _not_ here when I got in."

Rose looked a little more awake at this. Her eyes flashed with defense. "Uh, if you haven't been too blind and excited, I was there—" she pointed at the open window in her room. "—sitting and reading Kierkegaard." And then she pointed at a copy of _The Book on Alder_ on a chair.

Lesdaux didn't back down, though. She held her chin high and did something that I never think or want to see.

She spat literally at Rose. It landed on her collar bone and Rose didn't move—which surprised me. She just stared with Katrina, disbelief etched all over her face. I, too, was frozen shocked.

But half a second later, she responded. She slapped Katrina across her face. The sound of her palm hitting Katrina's face was so sharp, it made me flinch. And Rose, looking a little smug, pulled Katrina's long blonde hair… _wig_.

I never thought I'd seen anything so ugly before. Katrina's hair…

I unconsciously heard a scream before I went into action. Katrina was about to pull Rose's hair too. I didn't want to let her touch Rose's beautiful hair so I acted without thinking. Did I say that I inhaled chloroform? Yes, I did. Maybe this was one reason I did what I did, but other than that, I felt dignified. I was still angry at the girl… she has been trouble for years.

I put her into a headlock, my arms squeezing at her neck tightly that she coughed.

Everything happened so fast that I didn't even know that it happened in true life. I had never put a girl in a headlock before. Well, maybe except for guardians but I rarely do them now. Even with Rose's trainings, I still don't do that.

Katrina thrashed in my arms and I didn't have a choice but to look help for Rose. I signaled for her to do the paralysis technique she has been doing since her first day of school. I was glad that she understood directly. I didn't know where she got her pin, but I didn't care. Katrina stopped moving.

We heard a scream and we looked up to see the Conta girl. She looked horrified and very frightened.

"If you don't keep your mouth shut, I'm gonna have to bash your spine like what I did to Kathy's." Rose warned, but I was sure she was half-joking. Only half-joking because I was sure that she could bash anyone's spine at any time.

I called one of the most indifferent guardians on campus as I supported Katrina's still form. I guess I should admit that I felt disgusted that I was touching the girl that I had attempted _several_ crimes in the academy. And the school "slut" too.

Just seconds later, the guardian I called arrived, impassive as always.

"What happened?" he asked me.

I grunted. "Got inside in other novice's room." I replied tersely.

He shook his head and took the paralyzed Katrina away from me. I felt more than a little thankful at that.

"Kirova?" he asked over his shoulder.

I nodded and held a hand to the frightened Conta. She hesitated; looking at my hand like it was a venomous cobra, and then shakily took it. She glanced quickly at Rose then went with me.

Before I could get out, I told Rose, "Get some sleep Rose. We're travelling to court today." I was a little concerned, she had _insomnia_? I was sure she was joking but the look on her face didn't make me feel assured.

"Sure," she called over her shoulder and closed her door.

When we got into the Headmistress' room (she wasn't at her office), I took off the pin on Katrina's neck. She still didn't move but I wasn't stupid enough not to know that what Rose did took time to wear off. The Headmistress opened her door, took one look at the girls, and then ushered us inside. She let me explain what happened and then after that, she told us to go back to our watch because she'll handle the girls herself.

***An hour before jets take off***

"Guardian Belikov," Alberta called to me from the door of the conference room. "One minute?"

I nodded and followed her to the glass patio. She didn't waste time—she retrieved a brown envelope from the vault at the corner of the room and handed it to me.

"The Queen isn't as patient as she says she is." was all she said before patting the envelope on my hand and nodded, indicating I was good to go.

***At the jet***

I was one of the guardians assigned to check in on royal Moroi. I tried my best to hide the disgust off my face at the mention of Moroi. My inference to Moroi now were a little different than before. I knew that Katrina was not in the royal section, but still.

As soon as I got inside the section, I scanned my eyes around the room, not really looking at something in particular. My gaze landed on Rose… why was she here? That wasn't really a surprise, Rose could get anything she wants—and when I mean anything, it is _anything_. I passed by their line of seats and I saw Christian Ozera. He was looking—er, leering at me. I could see that everybody was holding their breaths and it wasn't long until they laughed. Ah, I finally got it. I really thought that Christian was serious about… _having an interest on me_.

I shot the novices a speculative look and walked off, ducking my head a little.

"Love-struck people," I heard Rose say and I couldn't hear her anymore.

I chose the rear of the section to guard because it was the farthest place from the Moroi. I could still see Rose from here in my place, though. That was the second reason I chose to sit here. I knew that it sounded like what a stalker might do, but I can assure you, I am not into stalking.

_You're just a pedophile_, I accused myself. It hurt me a little to think that that accusation was true. I didn't want to acknowledge it, but there was just one part of Rose that makes me lose control. I didn't want to be aware that I was growing _fond_ of her. Not just any_ fond_, but _fond fond_. Like attraction, affection, you name it. Hell, it just wasn't _one_ part of Rose that got to me. _Every _part of her made me want to lose control. Makes me say, "Screw the academy's rules," even though I didn't curse in English.

I could see now what Rose was wearing. It was a black female military coat and it fit her like a glove. Practically second skin. I wonder how it feels—dammit Belikov! Shut the hell up, would you?!

I focused my attention to other things. But not for long. I saw a flash of movement at Rose's direction.

Miss Rinaldi was there, glaring at Rose, and held up a magazine to smash it on Rose's face. I was about to jump in on them when I saw Rose's eyes open and she took the magazine smoothly away from Miss Rinaldi's grasp. I was kind of amused. The girl had reflexes faster than a cat's, Belikov, I told myself. She doesn't need any rescuing from anything.

I looked at Rose and Mia bicker a little then Rose stood up, standing tall with her—I couldn't help but note—very sexy heels.

_Damn, did I just say sexy?_

She nodded when she passed by me and it was enough to whiff her scent in my direction. As usual, she smelled fresh and the same—not that I minded but I liked how she smelled. She smelled like roses and orange blossoms and everything fresh.

I just stood there outside the rest room's door where she was and it felt awkward. I decided to move away from my spot but the jet jumped violently—it was natural. I heard a loud thump inside the door.

"Holy mother-fornicating poop." I heard from the other side of the door. It was Rose. I chuckled, amused.

Seconds later, another string of curse words came out from her mouth and I should say, it wasn't pretty.

I walked to the door and knocked at her door. "Rose, are you alright?" I asked, sounding a little concerned.

"No, I'm not," she grunted.

My face scrunched up. "What's wrong?" When she didn't answer, I asked, "Do you need help in there?"

The rest room's door opened and she pulled me inside, without effort.

"Yes, I need your help." she told me and held out her hands, looking pointedly at her sleeves.

"Oh," I gently pulled on the sleeves but when it didn't move an inch, I pulled a little harder. This time, the jacket's sleeve moved a little. I held her arm at bay while I pulled on her sleeve. I noted at how my body heated at my skin contact with her.

When I finally pried off the first sleeve, I looked up at her and asked, "Where'd you get this coat?"

"From my sensei."

"It's very… _tight_." I told her and that was the truth.

"Sorry. I hope it's not too small for you to take off." she told me, and I got the feeling that she was joking around. "You never got this verbal before."

I cocked my head to one side and proceeded to pull the sleeve out of her arm. It took more time for me to pull this one sleeve off but eventually, I did it. I handed to her her military coat back and I saw something glitter from her chest. I looked away, hoping Rose didn't notice that I just looked at her chest.

"Nice outfit. Fits the weather here." I told her.

"I had to wear it. I heard it gets really hot here during summer days. I'd like to do sunbathing." She said.

"You should," I said when I glanced back to look at her on the mirror. It was hard not to acknowledge the naked skin her backless vest showed. "There's a beach just a mile out of court. I could take you there if you like." I offered her a genuine small smile.

A wide grin spread on her lips. "You don't mind?"

I shook my head. "Calling out for the rest of the week. Queen's orders." A look of surprise spread on her face. "I don't really mind, Rose. I'd rather be out rather than stay inside—" I stopped and pursed my lips. I had said some things that I didn't really mean to. This was what I meant about Rose making me lose control.

She smiled at me and nodded, clearly telling me she'd be glad to go then turned back to mirror and fixed her hair.

I was still at the door when I finally looked at the silver thing that thing between her breasts. It was a locket. It was _the_ locket. It had to be. It looked the same and the thing written on them were the same. I refused to shake my head at the impossibility of the moment.

With one last glance at the locket, I got out, feeling as if something in me had been ripped.

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**Okay, guys. Despite Dimitri's POV, his life and thoughts and still a mystery to us. RPOV would be next. I would write DPOV from time to time. I don't really know when, but I'll tell you if I want to and then I'll give y'all the choice to pick again.**

**Leave a REVIEW, please.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**

**xx**

**P.S. I'm sorry if there are wrong grammars and typos! I am too lazy to check them!**


	22. A Drunk Moroi

**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!!**

**Special mention to ****Lucia Rayne****. She helped me on some of my jokes here.**

**So, people are still confused about the locket, so I'll make this clear. The locket's purpose still isn't mentioned in the story. It will reveal itself in the ****next several chapters**** or so. I'm a girl fond of mysteries, and I tend to make my stories cryptic too. BUT this story isn't a mystery, its adventure/action, and this genre also has the same sequence in a normal story. Questions are answered at the near-end of the story, so please be patient. I cannot reveal things any further. If I will, the plot's going to be ruined because of so many spoilers. **

**ATTENTION: I have a link in my profile for my VA characters. Thought you'd like to see them. They're not really good characters, but they're the best I could get for them.**

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**Chapter Twenty**

**A Drunk Moroi**

"No, you don't need panic." Mia told me urgently. She held my arm so tightly I could feel my circulation stopping. "Just take a deep breath, and then pretend nothing happened."

Mia and Lissa—along with half the population of the academy—had noticed my blanching form. The locket; that was all I could think of. He saw my locket. Dimitri saw my fucking locket.

Someone shook me hard. "Rose, you shouldn't be making a big deal out of a locket." It was Lissa's time to chide me. "Don't show your weakness. He'll notice that and you'll probably get convicted."

She had a point, I admitted grudgingly.

I took a deep breath like what Mia said and forced out a smile. "Are they so dumb these days?" I asked rhetorically. "They can't convict me for wearing a locket that supposedly evidence against a Strigoi killer." I hissed in a low tone. That didn't do any good—I was starting to panic again.

"Slap me," I told them.

They did. They both did. On each side of my face. It didn't hurt, but it stung. It was enough to get me out of my hysteria, too.

"Thanks, I needed that." I said and smiled apologetically to everyone who had been scrutinizing me. "Show's over, everyone!" I made a dismissive gesture with my hands and they walked off, looking confused.

I sighed, and heaved up my bag o' weapons. I was hand-carrying them despite the guardians' suspicion to why I wanted to. Well, they just had to live with it—I'm the _most_ stubborn girl in the world.

When we got to our van, Dimitri was there, holding the door open for us. As usual, his face was blank, but I could see the grimness through them. I decided to cheer him up. Maybe my cheery attitude would make him forget about what he was thinking now.

"Hey, comrade!" I said in a hyper whisper. I smiled at him and inhaled deeply, closing my eyes at the process. "What a lovely Easter day in Pennsylvania, isn't it? Can you feel the holiness of the place or what?"

I expected him to crack a smile, but he didn't. He chuckled, clear amusement clouding his dark eyes. My heart almost broke in relief.

"The place isn't holy _yet_, Rose." He told me and messed my hair. Yeah, he messed my hair.

I hid my shock at what he just did, and got inside the van with my duffle bag. I called dibs on the first row of seats for Lissa and Mia. They slipped beside without making so much noise.

"Hey, Rose, you should have worn a bunny suit for the occasion." Christian hollered from the back of the van. He was with his boyfriends, Stas, Mason and Eddie.

I looked back and sneered at him. "Oh, look who's talking—_Christian_, you should be the one wearing a monk costume. It suits you well." I told him while I smiled at Dimitri. The vane started and we rode in silence for a minute or two.

I looked around for a material for my jokes and saw children running around at a family's lawn with basketful of eggs. I felt a pang of jealousy there—I never had any parents. The children's parents were running around, hugging and kissing their kids.

"You know, I wonder why anyone's crucified if we're going to be given colored eggs from angry hens who don't know we're going to have their offspring used as a fashion statement." I said all of a sudden and everybody inside the van burst out laughing. Even the guardians did—_especially_ Dimitri.

I shrugged innocently when Lissa and Mia shot me looks. "Just stating a fact." Just behind those smart-ass words were hurt. I never thought that I would miss my mother even though I haven't met her since I was born. Sensei said that I was just handed down by my mom when I was still a year old. Of course, I couldn't remember those times when I was with her.

I listened to everybody make jokes—mainly Christian and Mason—while I leaned my head against the van's window. I felt lonelier than before, despite my newly found friendship and comradeship with Lissa and Mia. I looked out the window, allowing the green surroundings fill me. There were many colorful maple trees as we drove by the court's gate. We were riding a van because the court's runway was practically a mile away from the apartments we were staying at.

"There're humans living here?" I asked no one in particular.

"The court accepts human lodgers during summer." Dimitri answered me.

I looked back to him with a frown. "Why? Don't the human, like, get suspicious on why we're only out at night?"

Dimitri shrugged. "They'll only guess that we're night people. It's summer—people should have fun especially at night."

I kind of felt weird discussing fun at nights. I wasn't a dirty-minded person, but the phrase just sent a tingly feeling to me. I nodded and gave Dimitri a small smile, hoping he wouldn't think that I was some kind of sexually frustrated teenager. And I really wasn't. I was just afraid that Dimitri would think _negative_ things about me.

_Ugh, yeah,_ I told myself. _I _am_ a bit desperate._

***Several hours later***

"Loser!" I called to Stas who was surfing. I should say, he was pretty good at it. I just called him a loser because he was being a bit extreme on the killer waves.

He waved at me in the water before he was plunged under a really big wave. I laughed and looked at the _god_ beside me.

"Thanks for taking us here, comrade."

His eyes stayed on the waves in front of us when he answered. "You're welcome, _Roza_." I didn't know what he called me, but I think he was hypnotized. Yes, the sunset and waves were mesmerizing.

I didn't question him that, but my mind was still reeling at what he just called me.

"Okay, one last wave and we're heading back." He told me softly and he padded out of the beach and waited in the car.

I didn't surf again, but I put on my board shorts and made a ball of talcum fine white sand and threw it to the nearest person I knew. I had thrown it to Mason. He looked at me, the powdery white sand falling on his red hair. He had that same evil glint on his eyes when he wanted to do something… _mischievous_.

Uh-oh.

I ran away. That was all I could do. But before I could go far, he picked up a sand ball and threw it to me. Luckily, I dodged it before it hit my hair. I stuck I tongue out to him.

"You have to do better than that, Mase!"

I heard a whooshing sound of sand behind me and I avoided being hit by Eddie. He was very quiet when we got here, so I really didn't notice him.

I scowled at him. "Traitor!" I called and we played sand war for a few minutes. The war involved some humans now, they were just looking at us first, but when they got hit, they fought back with no mercy. Throughout the battle, Dimitri didn't step out of the car. I could see that he was still looking at the sky, which was turning dark.

And for the first time, I was hit. At the back of my head. I suddenly felt furious to who had hit me. I knew that it was unfair and not sporty of me, but sleep-deprivation got the best of me.

I looked back to see who had hit me. First, I thought it was Dimitri because he was a really tall guy, but then, I noticed what he was wearing and his eyes weren't dark.

It was green. _And_ he was Moroi. How could a Moroi be out during this time? Oh, right, because the sun just set. He didn't look like a teen Moroi, so I looked around for his guardian. There was none.

"Where's your guardian, Moroi?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Don't have one, Little Dhampir." He answered and I could smell a small whiff of clove cigarettes from his breath. Not only cigarettes, but it think he was drunk too. "But if you're suggesting that _I_ get a guardian, I hope it'd be you." He quirked a corner of his lips into half a smile.

I rolled my eyes. Ugh, he was a _royal_. A royal with _no_ guardian.

"What are you doing out here with no guardian?" I asked and I was cautious enough to look around for trouble or Strigoi.

"Relax, Little Dhampir, there are wards in the beach. My aunt told her people to install one here." He told me while drunkenly making reassuring motions with his hands.

I crossed my arms on my chest, not giving him view to where he was particularly interested at. "Then your aunt must be something if she can put wards in a beach this big."

His eyes widened with drunken amusement. "My aunt…" he trailed off, cocking his head to one side that his stylishly messy hair blew with the air. His face before—teasing and drunk—turned serious for a moment, but it disappeared quickly, making me think I just imagined it. "Yes," he nodded slowly. "My aunt _is_ something." He told me and took a swig of the bottle he was carrying. I didn't know what that was, but from the smell I could point out that it was vodka. Pure, clear vodka.

My stomach turned at the mention of that. The last time I had drunk vodka was about three years ago when I was in a faire in Czech Republic. Sensei wasn't there back then, so I took that time to celebrate my freedom. I didn't really get a hangover like normal people have, but I spent all that night spilling my guts out in the form of chunky, liquid-y things. Ew.

The drunk Moroi staggered back a step and nearly collapsed if I hadn't caught him.

"Okay," I said in my best chastising mother voice. "Time for the Moroi to go to bed now." I looked around and I found Dimitri running to me. Or running to the Moroi. He stopped just beside me, took one look at the Moroi, and I could see his eyes tighten. Hm, seems like somebody has an antagonism towards Moroi.

The guy with me absently wrapped his arms around my waist, holding on. I looked at Dimitri for help, the smell of vodka was intoxicating. "Do you know him?" I asked Dimitri.

He looked at me and nodded. "Adrian Ivashkov," he said, nodding toward the guy I was carrying.

Realization hit me. "Well, criminy dutch." I said and handed him the guy. I had heard stories about Adrian Ivashkov—he had a reputation of sleeping everything that walks and wears a skirt. I was glad I don't wear skirts; too bad I could walk. I pointed at Adrian—who was looking at me seriously. "This guy is a man whore!" I said in a purposely offending tone.

Adrian smirked at me for a second before returning to look at me from head to toe—cryptically serious.

"Don't bother making goo-goo eyes on me, Moroi. You are so not getting some of _me_." Talk about being conceited.

Adrian was now looking at the crown of my head, his eyes slightly questioning.

I dismissed him and started walking away. "Ugh, let's go back to the court, comrade. I wanna wash off this sand off my hair." I called, took my towel and took off to the van.

"Who's she?" I heard Adrian ask.

"Rosemarie Hathaway," Dimitri said in a surprisingly grim tone.

"Huh, doesn't sound familiar. I'm sure I would've heard from her if she was that good at handling a fight."

"She's new." Dimitri said and I saw him let go of Adrian. He made a curt goodbye and followed me to the van.

I could see that Adrian was still there, sitting on the sand with his pant leg wet with sea water and his shirt unbuttoned. He looked back to see me looking at him. He had a serious face on when he did, but when he saw me looking, he smiled teasingly. Despite that drunk face, I could see through him. He was deep in thought.

I never thought that a drunk-assed royal Moroi could even think that deep.

***At the court***

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mia said in a mock deep voice. "Princess Vasilisa Dragomir is hereby invited to Queen Tatiana Ivashkov's pre-summer celebration at her residence. Please wear formal attire and bring an escort."

"Was that the real thing written there?" Christian asked Mia.

She shook her head. "That was just the summary. It's long. As in, monarchy letter long with the lists of people who're coming." She said. "Lissa's name is highlighted."

Lissa looked at us apologetically. "Looks like I can't join you tomorrow night." She said guiltily.

"You're going to have to make it up for us the next day then." I told her and got up from where I was sitting to open the door. "Must be room service."

I opened the door, expecting a girl in a French maid suit. But instead of a girl, it was a guy. A guy with messy brown hair, with laughing green eyes. I had to look up at him to keep eye contact. "Little Dhampir, nice to see that you washed away the sand from your hair."

I leaned on the door's entrance so that nobody would see him. "Okay, drunk Moroi, what do you want from me?" I asked bluntly. "Are you stalking me or something?"

Adrian pouted. "No, I just wanted to see you again." He told me and made a motion to the room. "_And_ Vasilisa."

"If I say she's taken, would you go away?"

Adrian smiled. He looked less drunk now, but he still smelled of clove cigarettes. "I'm not interested in your friend, Little Dhampir. I'd rather have _you_." He said slowly, and leaned on the wall opposite to me.

"Sorry. This girl ain't available. Never was, never will be."

Adrian frowned for a second and looked at me from head to toe with that weird serious look on his face again. "Too bad." He _tsk_ed. From his inspection from head to toe, his eyes lingered on my chest. He reached out and I backed away.

"What the fuck?" I hissed, not really shrieking. "Are you drunk?" I sniffed the air around him. There was just a small smell of vodka from him, but that couldn't be it.

He looked at my chest then to my eyes. His eyes held amusement. "Our salvation, eh?" he said, pointing at my chest.

I looked down and there it was again. The locket was peeking through my low-cut shirt. That's _two_ slip-ups now, Rose, I chastised myself. One more, then you'll going to be using compulsion on half the people in the world. I held the locket, covering it from his sight.

"I think you need to go back to your room. You're drunk."

He shook his head and spread his arms. "I'm not drunk, Little Dhampir!" he said innocently.

I sneered. "Yeah, right. You're saying things you don't really mean."

He shook his head again and pointed at my fisted locket. "I just read it there." He titled his head to one side and scrutinized me. It made me feel kind of weird.

"Okay, Ivashkov, you _really_ need to go to your own room—er, house now."

He raised a brow just liked Dimitri. "But this is _my_ house, Little Dhampir. This is the _Ivashkov wing_."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, really." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Guess I'd go now, then."

"Where?"

"I'm a dhampir, remember? I'm supposed to be sleeping on the cute cottages down there. _Alone_!"

"Why alone?" he asked, looking a little confused.

"I'm the only female dhampir, that's why."

Boy, was that a lie.

"Good night, Adrian." I called over my shoulder. I didn't even say good bye to Lissa and Mia, I was too exhausted to.

By the time I arrived at my cute ol' cottage, I faced the mirror—my expression unreadable.

I looked at my locket through the mirror.

I ran my thumb on the inscribed letters. _Наше спасение_

"Our salvation,"

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**So, how was it? Did you enjoy it?**

**Next update's when I get 360 reviews. Is that alright? **

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**

**Xx**

**P.S. Sorry if there are lots o' long grammars and typos. I'm, again, too lazy to check them.**


	23. Message in a Bottle

**Hey, thanks so much for the reviews. Some of you had re-read my chapters and reviewed, so thanks you for taking your time. Although I didn't believe that I could get 360 reviews for such a short time. You all know that I don't like to update late. How about the next update would be… um, let me say, two or three days? Depends on the reviews?**

**Song inspiration: Animal by Kesha**

**When I Look at You by Miley Cyrus**

**USUAL DISCLAIMER APPLIES.**

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**Chapter Twenty-One**

**Message in a Bottle**

"You really _are_ a stalker," I told him when he appeared out of thin air. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at the Moroi in front of me. Under the sun, he looked better. His eyes were alight; it was almost blinding to look at and his hair showed off gold and chestnut highlights. "Who's your hairdresser?"

"That's a nice pick-up line, Little Dhampir. And it's Johnnie Sapong."

I looked at him, slightly confused, and then I just shook my head. "I must have lost it," I mumbled to myself.

"What have you lost, Little Dhampir?" Adrian asked, peering at me.

"My sanity," I said in a calm voice. "Now, I'm talking to my dreams. Then the guy who was practically preening at me just a few hours ago is here in my dreams. I must have really lost it. I'm thinking that men are chasing me to everywhere I go." I shook my head and closed my eyes, willing the dream to stop. "I must be mad and people didn't bother telling me that I am."

I felt a hand on my wrist. I opened my eyes to look at Adrian. "You think you've lost your sanity, Rose?" he asked me and a small smile played on his lips. "Well, then…" he rubbed his hands together. "Welcome to the party!" he said and the beach around us turned into white walls and the people appeared in the form of rocking bodies locked in straitjackets.

I stood up, the motion seemed too fast, but hey, I just lost my sense of mentality. Could you blame me?

"And now, I am seeing people locked in some weird jackets."

The white walls turned back into the beautiful view of the beach at the court again.

"You're not crazy, Rose. If you were, I would know it." Adrian said, his hand rubbing his chin. I should say, the guy was—cough—gorgeous—cough. "Although, I think you're not alive."

"What?!" my voice echoed around the beach and then suddenly, the sunny background flickered and disappeared. We were in total darkness now, but I could still se Adrian. He was looking around, a frown on his face.

"Interesting," he said and disappeared from my view.

***Waking land***

My eyes flew open at the sounds of frantic knockings on my door. My eyes felt a little dry from the beach's salt when I had opened my eyes under the water when I was surfing.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to discard my weariness, and looked at my phone's clock. It was exactly 11:02 in the night—which meant Moroi were out during this time. _And _ I only had three friggin' hours of sleep.

I got up and opened the door. Mia and Lissa appeared on the door with excited smiles on their heavily make-upped faces. About a mile out of where my cottage was, I could smell fire and see the orange glow of it.

"Dress up! There's a bonfire at the beach!" Mia told me excitedly. Both she and Lissa were jumping up and down. I looked down at what they were looking at. Mia was wearing a beach dress the color of orange—it wasn't her color, but she was dared to where them. And Lissa… never underestimate Lissa's clothes. They were silvery white under the moonlight and it was long, touching the white sand just outside of my cute cottage.

I tried to roll my eyes, but I think the result of it looked like a long eye-rolling blink. I motioned them in and changed into my black gauze caftan dress and flip flops **(pic on profile)**. I didn't add anything after I put on the evil eye anklet that sensei gave me, and I deducted my accessories by leaving my locket. I left it inside my trinket at my bag below the bed. If anyone would dare to get my things while I'm out, I'd rather they not have those things from my mom.

I locked my cottage and tossed my keys on my handy shake it purse. We started walking across the fine white sand in silence. Well, it was silent for them, but I could hear everything. People were laughing, and shouting at the bonfire party; the ocean was luring me into their enchanting sounds; and I could hear music from somewhere. All those sounds were all amplified to me, leaving me a little out of place.

Ten minutes of walking, we arrived at the bonfire party. There were only about twenty people in there. All of them were Moroi, too. They were all drinking and having fun like normal people, but all those pale skin, and beautiful faces were nothing to me. Well, okay, they were _something_ to me, but not really that big a deal in my life. Moroi had little interest to me—except for my friends, though. Strigoi were my first obligation—I still had about the whole European population for them to kill. Strigoi numbers were rising since I went to the academy. Although, it won't be long until they'd be extinct.

I stayed at the shadow of a tree near the bonfire party. The party was just at the front of the beach, and I felt tempted to swim on those soft, blue waters. They were calling to me, telling me how they'll feel if I just give in.

For the first time, I decided to give in to such trivial things.

"Hey, guys," I called to Mia and Lissa. They looked back at me. "I'll just catch up. I need to…" I nodded toward the sea, and smiled at them meekly. Lissa smiled wider and nodded while Mia frowned at me.

"Your dress is pretty." She told me. "You'll ruin it if you want to—" she nodded at the sea and looked back at me.

I rolled my eyes—now, it was effective. "Need and want are not the same thing, Mia." I told her and started walking, waving at them. The waved back.

I moved farther from the bonfire party and started toward a dock. There were three yachts and some speed boats floating and the only source of light was just the full moon. The ocean looked slivery blue from the moonlight and I was surprised that I could barely hear the people back at the party. Although, there were still buzzes of conversation and a soft booming of their music.

My hearing was focused on the ocean's wonderful waves' sounds. The tide was high, so it looked breath-taking from here.

I dropped my purse on the sand, and looked around to see if anybody was there. I couldn't see anybody around the place. Some Moroi were known for their perverted personalities, so I was a bit surprised that nobody followed me. I took my time. I sat down on the sand, burying my feet deep on the fine, fine sand. The sand was perfect; it felt like powder under my feet. I played with the sand with my hands, too, while I watched the moon rise higher into the sky. Stars weren't visible, there was only the moon. The moon looked big in front of me and—with my enhanced vision—I could see the dark craters on the moon easily.

"I wonder how it feels to fly," I said and sighed. I surprised myself at how wistful that sound sounded like. "Falling in love, too."

I didn't know why I said those things, but those questions were directed to the moon. I think that I was expecting the answer from the bright moon, but what the hell, how could it? I sighed again and let my mind wander. I put my chin on my knees and stared into the lit path of the blue sea. Nothing looked dangerous there, nothing looked like it was about to swallow up a person whole there—it looked perfectly safe.

Now, my mind was clouded with wistful thoughts. It took me some time to regain my composure, but eventually, I did.

I stared at the ocean again and I swear I saw something sparkle on the straight highlighted way on the sea. I looked at it… it was a bottle. It was a bottle, floating with a very old-looking cork. Just inside the bottle was something yellow and, again, old-looking.

Suddenly, the words _message in a bottle_ crossed my mind.

I felt wary for a second, but my delight overruled the rest of those trivial emotions. I took off my dress. I had worn a simple black two-piece under my dress. I had the hunch that I would be tempted for a night swim in the irresistible sea.

I took off my flip flops and walked into the sea. The bottle wasn't that too far away, but it wasn't near either. I shook my hair and dove under the water. I swan slowly in my moderately sped freestyle stroke. The water was cold, but in a good way. The water, I noticed, was sparkling under the moonlight as I got nearer. When I was just about a foot away from the bottle, I could see clearly that the paper rolled inside was approximately twenty years old. Don't ask me why I knew it because I didn't know too. Maybe it was just one of my undiscovered talents.

I caught the bottle and started back again to the shore. Now, I went under the water, letting it wet me until my whole body felt the water's biting temperature. When I emerged, I was at the shore already. I shook some water out of my hair and looked at the bottle on my hands.

Yup, it looked old. It felt old, too. The outside of the bottle was slippery with moss, but the inside was clear. Although, I could hear something tinkle inside when I shook the bottle. From my delight, I was a hair too late to notice that somebody was heading my way.

I quickly shoved the bottle inside of my purse on the sand and looked around for the person approaching.

And there he was.

My heart beat faster at the sight of his body moving with exposed masculine grace. The gracefulness seemed a bit odd for such a tall man like him. The way he moved with that languid grace, bearing a sinister air of danger and held back power, I knew that it acted as a magnet for women. But then, nobody was ever _interested_ in him the way that I was.

His dark eyes flashed silver in the moonlight as he scanned the place. I didn't move when he appeared on the moonlight, I just stared at him. He looked so…_ gorgeous_ under the them. I don't even know if Dimitri ever knew that he was just that gorgeous. No, scratch that, he looked drop-dead gorgeous.

Being a guardian meant leaving a life of a normal person. That was the best successful choice for a dhampir. Be a blood whore or be a guardian. Dimitri had chosen the latter, so it made him unconscious to his looks. For him, it might be nothing. For me, it was everything I could live for.

I just didn't feel physical attraction to Dimitri—I also felt _a_ connection to us. Although, that connection was unexplainable. It always was unexplained and I guess it will always stay that way. For me, anyway.

As he scanned, his eyes eventually landed on me. He just stood there and looked at my face for exactly five awkward seconds, and then he started to move.

I didn't know that Dimitri was still covered in the shadows, his profile was not to be seen by anyone without efficient light, but I saw him. And he saw me looking at him.

_Damn this enhanced vision!_

I took one awkward step toward my dress, but decided better. I faced Dimitri.

I didn't say anything. I just gave him half a smile.

We were just about three feet apart, but I could feel his body heat. Enhanced senses helped me with that, too.

"Rose," he started and then looked at the moon. "The night is beautiful, yes?"

I looked on the moon again. It seemed to be more beautiful with Dimitri by my side.

"Gorgeous," I said, secretly directing the compliment to him. I felt naked and the cold air was slightly biting my skin without my dress. I took my dress and put them on. I still felt cold, so I put my arms around myself.

He looked back at me, his dark eyes glittering like the sea. I wanted to drown into those dark depths, but I didn't give in to the more drawing temptation. "You're cold," he wasn't asking, but he was just simply stating a fact.

I smiled a bit sheepishly. "I don't usually get this cold," I told him. It was true, I never got cold before. Ever.

He gave me a ghost of a smile and started taking off his duster. Before I could say anything, he handed held it at my back, waiting for me to slip my arms in them. I obliged, putting them on. The duster was so long that it nearly touched the sand.

"You're really tall," I said softly and looked up to him again.

His eyes—emotionless—turned to something that I couldn't quite pin point. "Was that a compliment?"

I smiled a little. He still sounded serious.

"Of course, it was."

He quirked a corner of his lip into a smile. "You like it?" he asked, his eyes speculative for a moment.

"Who doesn't?" I said and wrung my hands. "Only a few people can be that tall."

He raised one brow up. I always wondered how he did that. "Some people are scared at me because of my height. I think my height is unnatural."

His guard was down, I realized.

"No, it's not." I told him indignantly. "It's something special."

He looked at me, his face considering. But it slowly turned into something more deep and different.

I didn't know why, but I loved it when he had his walls down. It showed who he truly was.

I didn't know what he was feeling now, but the _zap_ of electricity made when our gazes locked was susceptible in some twisted way.

"_Roza_,"

For the second time in one day, he said that word like it was a prayer.

"_Roza_," he repeated and all of a sudden, a voice interrupted. A voice that I really convinced myself was unreal—just made out of my insanity's ingenuity.

"Hey, Little Dhampir, why're you not with Vasilisa back there?"

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**Tell me what you think. Don't mind my typos and wrong grammars. I know, they suck, but I'm tired. Just been playing basket ball. Girls VS Boys. We won all two games!!! We're having a rematch tomorrow, so wish me luck!**

**Leave me a REVIEW, and tell me what you think.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**

**xx**


	24. Anchor Pendant

**Cut me some slack, guys, it's my birthday. Or rather it was my birthday yesterday… but, we have a day ahead of US, so… it's my birthday there. April 26**—**I am officially fifteen years old (don't wanna grow old)… Okay, you can give me a present by reviewing long reviews. Tell me what you think and give me inspiration!**

**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!**

**Disclaimer. Dili ako-a ang Vampiro Akademia. Ka Richelle Mead kani.**

**(That's our dialect****— a disclaimer)**

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**Chapter Twenty-two**

**Anchor Pendant**

I looked at Adrian. He was looming over the tree just behind me. Ugh, what a stalker.

"Adrian," I said, slightly angry that he had to ruin my moment with Dimitri.

"Lord Ivashkov," Dimitri greeted in his guardian voice. Now, he's back… oh, dear. I'd do anything to go back in time and finish our "conversation."

Adrian stepped out of the shadows. He was as handsome as ever, but the clever glint on his eyes made me want to knock the living daylights out of him. "You must be Dimitri Belikov," he said like he didn't know Dimitri. Oh yeah, when they met, he was as drunk as an old pirate.

"I am," Dimitri said in a tone that made me think that he didn't like Adrian knowing his name.

I stepped in front of Dimitri and glared at Adrian. "That's Guardian Dimitri Belikov to you, insane guy with a clove cigarette."

Adrian smirked at me and rolled his eyes. Dimitri stiffened behind me. "Oh, Rose," he chuckled and shook his head slowly, taking a long drag on his cigarette before throwing it away and stomping it with deliberate moves. He didn't look drunk now, and I couldn't smell any alcohol on him.

"I have to go," Dimitri's voice rumbled behind me. I was a bit disappointed that he wanted to go. Damn Adrian Ivashkov. Just damn him!

I looked back at Dimitri and forced a smile out while taking off his cowboy duster. "Thanks, comrade." I said before he walked off without a glance back. When his tall figure was nowhere to be seen in my vision, I looked at Adrian.

I would have thought that he had his perpetual smirk, but, boy was I wrong. His head was cocked on one side, his face serious as he watched me.

"Some people just don't know what the word gallantry means." I noted, and took my purse from the ground. Adrian had _that_ look again. Even if I refuse to believe that my dream about Adrian was true—it still kind of freaked me out.

Adrian—for a change—looked slightly flustered at what I had said. "Oh," he looked up and down at me, probably just realizing that I was in a more or less skimpy dress in the dead of the night. He took off his Armani coat, and held it at my back like what Dimitri did.

"You know that you smell, right?" Adrian said out of the blue.

I whirled around to look at him. Was he fucking serious?! "Excuse me?" At the same time I ground out those words, the peaceful moonlit night turned dark and it thundered loudly. I didn't look away from Adrian when the moon was replaced by dark clouds.

Adrian frowned. I couldn't help but notice how similar it looked to the one in my dream. He looked at the sky and looked back at me. When the place took a pitch-black view, his frown deepened as if it offended him.

I could hear the Moroi at the bonfire party complain about rain during summer.

For dhampirs, they probably couldn't see now. But for Moroi… they probably could, but not as much as I can.

"Come on," Adrian said all of a sudden and he took my hand, leading me to the back of the woods.

I tried to pull away from him as gently as I could, but it ended up as a swift wrestling-worthy jerk. "Where are you taking me?" I looked around, pretending to be blind. Damn, I hate being such a weak girl. Or I hated _pretending_ to be one.

Adrian sighed, the sound of it hinting irritation and something else—which was weird for a Moroi as crazy as him. "We're going to my loft," he told me and took my hand again.

"You're crazy for thinking I'll go with you to your fucking loft!" I shouted, outraged. How dare he think so low of dhampir girls? He thinks he can sweep a girl off his feet just for the first day he sees her? Maybe some girls might—but me? NEVER.

Adrian rubbed his temples as if he was having a headache. "I'm not going to steal your virtue, Rose, but—"

"Hell, yeah, you won't—"

"Rose, just listen—"

"—steal my virtue!"

"Rose!" he roared, looking at me with bright green eyes. The place started to take on a wet theme. It was drizzling lightly.

I stared at Adrian. Just stared at him. Adrian can't be more fucking crazy than he already is. And also… I couldn't help but think that I liked him better drunk if he was going to boss me around while sober.

"Vasilisa is at my loft. She wants you to go there, because we have to tell you something."

I felt my brows knit together. "Lissa's at your loft?" I asked, disbelieving.

He rolled his eyes, but now, it appeared forced and hard. He took my wrist, and dragged me to his loft.

"Hey, you hadn't answered my question yet!"

The light drizzle turned into a downpour. Ugh, this just sucks.

Adrian didn't say anything when we were at the woods, but when we stopped at a bright verandah, he said, "I said you smelled."

I looked at him like he had hands growing out of his ears. "I don't smell, of that I am sure." I said in an indignant tone.

Adrian shook his head, crystals of water falling out of his wet dark hair. "You don't understand. You _smell_ different."

I just stared at him while he took of his wet coat on me. He led me inside the heated loft.

I looked around, looking for any sign of Lissa. She wasn't anywhere to be seen. I took a deep breath to find her scent and found out that she had gone back out. I looked back at Adrian, who was starting to take his shoes off.

"Lissa's not here,"

He looked up and walked toward a huge leather sofa, plopping down while sighing heavily. "Maybe she was getting your other friend… the short blonde…" he said and opened his closed eyes. I stood there in front of him, hands on my hips.

"What are you looking at?" I looked at my chest, trying to see if I had imagined taking off the locket. I didn't, fortunately. My neck was free from any blings. The only bling I had was my "evil eye," as sensei had called it. He didn't tell me anything about it except that it was a hand-me-down from my mother.

"You scared? Got some protection on you." He told me, glancing at my ankle where the "evil eye" was.

I looked down at it too. "Protection?" I looked back up at Adrian, who just shrugged. "Way to go for being help—" I was cut off by loud, sharp sounds.

I jerked my gaze away from Adrian and looked at the door.

"Uuuggghhh!" I heard somebody familiar drag out. "This is so not helping my mood."

"He said Rose was coming," I heard another familiar voice say.

"You believe that royal ass-hat? For all we know, he got the hots on you, girl! Rose would be so disappointed if she heard you're this gullible." Mia _tsk_ed.

"I am _not_ gullible." Lissa hissed, but I could hear a slight bubble of laughter on them.

"Oh, now you're a skeptic?"

"None of the above!"

"Pfft, that's rubbish. I'll take it you really are gullible." Mia said when they opened the loft's door.

"And _I'll_ take it that both of you were foolish enough to let Adrian Ivashkov boss you around like he owns the place." I said when they saw me.

"Technically," Adrian started and I heard him get off the couch. "I _do_ own the place."

I gave him a heated side-long glance, and then looked back at the still as stone girls on the door.

"Rose, you look…" Mia started. Her blue eyes were as wide as saucers and her face looked ashen.

"Wet? Disheveled?" I offered.

Mia snapped out of her trance and started walking to Adrian with an exaggerated smile and gestures. I could see her eyes darting from me too him. "Oh, Lord Ivashkov, what a wonderful place you have!" she said in her little girl's voice. She took Adrian's arm and leaned on it with a hidden display of disgust.

Lissa ran to me with the same wide eyes. Adrian looked at Mia seriously.

"Where are we going?" he asked, squinting at Mia. "I can see that you are hiding something." He said, looking at both Mia and Lissa.

Lissa looked contrite for a moment. "No, we're not." She said out loud. To me, she mumbled, "Your eyes and your skin looks different."

"What?" I looked at my hands. Sure enough, my skin was almost as pale as Lissa's now. It was those times that I turn pale—after I go under the sun for too long. I had the opposite effect to other people when I go under the sun. For one, I don't turn tan—I turn even paler. Two, it doesn't appear until a few hours after you bathed under the sun. I knew those from experience.

"Arian, where's your—?"

"Comfort room's there." He pointed at the small hallway with a smoked glass door.

I didn't waste time; I bolted to the door and shut it behind me. The comfort room was…er, male and…_very_ male. I could only describe the place as _male_. I didn't look around the comfort room—I just went straight to the mirror.

I was a bit shocked at how I looked. My hair was wet and wild, but aside from that, my skin and my eye color were… _different_. The pale skin I had gained turned even paler, making me look like a damned Strigoi. And for the eyes… oh, the eyes. Nobody should deserve to see them. It was all vivid red—there were no pupils nor were there whites. I looked at myself at the mirror, horrified.

I didn't know what to do. I was just a freak who didn't deserve to live. I was a _nobody_!

With those self-pitying thoughts, I became mad at myself.

Sensei didn't train me to be like this. I wasn't called the Slayer for nothing. I wasn't the best novice in St. Vladimir's Academy for nothing. Hell, even my name had a meaning of itself.

"Buck up, woman." I told myself, suddenly full of power. My eye color didn't change, but my skin turned less pale. The purse on my hand was slammed on the black marble top of the sink. The slamming sound was accompanied by the sounds of breaking glass.

I immediately remembered that I had a glass on my bag. A glass bottle. A message in a bottle.

I opened my bag, careful not to pinch my skin with the tiny shards of glass.

There it was the old yellowing paper. I heard a soft tinkle on the glass and I caught sight of a small anchor pendant. Even if it was small, I could sense the value of such a thing. I tucked the pendant on the pocket of my purse where it would stay safe. I took the paper, careful not to dent, crumple or destroy it or anything with my inhuman strength.

I rolled the paper, but before I could even read a word, there was a loud knock on the door.

"Rose, we heard something break. Are you alright?" It was Mia. She sounded concerned.

"Rose? Can I come in?" Lissa asked through the door.

I rolled the paper back, and cleaned up my purse using my speed. "Nope, you have nothing to worry about." I said, fixing my hair on the mirror. "I'll be out in a minute or two." My eyes were still vivid red, but it was starting to fade. Sensei had told me the reason why my eye color change was because of my temper, so I took a deep breath, and sat on a lotus position. I started meditating.

As soon as I was calm and good-natured enough, I stood up from my place on the cold tiled floor and looked at my eyes. They were back to its original dark brown now. I smiled bleakly at my reflection.

"So much for exotic beauty, right?" I said. I was aware that everybody was just at the other side of the door, waiting for me. Somebody, Mia for exact, was about to open the door to see if I wasn't killing myself. I always knew these things when my Slayer powers go hyper. Right now, I was hyper.

I opened the door before she could touch the threshold.

"Do I look fabulous?" I asked, but my voice sounded dead.

Mia's eyes softened and I heard Lissa's heart break for me in sympathy.

"C'mon," she told me in a soft tone and dragged me to the leather couch, Adrian and Lissa hot on our heels.

We sat down, and Lissa kneeled in front of me. Adrian chose to sit at a black recliner, taking a swig of something on a champagne flute. He offered me one and I took it absently.

"You're going to need that." He told me and motioned for me to drink it.

I did. It wasn't like poison was harmful to me. _If_ it had poison, that is.

"Rose," Lissa started, taking both my hands in hers. They were warm compared to my cold ones. "_We_" —Lissa gestured to Adrian and her—"have something to tell you."

"Sure, go ahead." I said and leaned back on the chair. I didn't feel dizzy or sick to the stomach with what I had just drunk. I just felt…y'know numb. Maybe the drink had some kind of numbing drugs on the, or something. I was too numb to care anyway.

"Rose, have you heard of a spirit user?"

"No, what are they?" I asked nonchalantly. "Oh, wait. Are they those weird faith healers or fortune tellers or something?"

"No, they're not, but the healer part was almost right."

"_Almost_," I noted, frowning at the word.

"Yes, because Adrian and I are both spirit users, but the problem is… he doesn't really know how to heal. _Yet_." Lissa told me, excitement in her voice leaking.

I felt nothing. "So? What's the big deal about it?"

"It's a big deal because it's _very_ rare." Adrian surprised me by answering. He had a serious tone on his voice. I'm sure if I was to look at him, he would have _the_ look again.

"Right,"

"And, Rose, other than healing, spirit users can also dream walk, see auras—"

Now _that_ was something. "Wait—what?" I sat up and looked back and forth from Lissa and Adrian. I took one glance at Mia but she just shrugged like she didn't know anything about it. "Did you just say dream walk?" I wasn't so numb now.

"Rose, calm down." Lissa told me, stroking my hand. "You're eyes," she said in a voice that was only meant for my ears.

I sighed, calming down my nerves. "Was it true? The dream?" I asked Adrian.

He frowned and nodded. "Yes… but I didn't know what happened next when everything went black after you went berserk when I told you that you were not alive." He said it like it was of no interest to him, but his eyes gave it out. He was more than interested.

I stood up, nearly toppling Lissa over. "That," I pointed a finger at Adrian. "That. What you just said. What did that mean?"

Adrian looked at me, and the smirked. "Simple. You have no aura."

I wasn't so stupid not to know what an aura was. Just damn my Strigoi genes. DAMN THEM TO THE PITS OF HELL.

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**Sorry, that was cruel of me to stop there, and the chapter didn't cover up that much. But, as you have read, something's up with Rose's powers. And what about her aura?**

**It's kinda weird writing my dialect in here... LOL... Hinumdumi, hatagi ko ug tag-as kaayo na mga reviews, kasabot?  
**

**It's my birthday, so leave me a looong review.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**

**xx**


	25. Welcome and Unwelcome Visitor

**To all Kathy Lesdaux haters—I think you'll like this chapter.**

**AND if y'all are asking when the message on the bottle will be read, my answer would be soon. I don't know when, but it was supposed to be at the last chapter, but I changed my mind 'cause I got another idea. LOL :)) I'm indecisive to when I'll put it. :D**

**Enjoy :D**

**And, oh, disclaimer**—**VA is not mine. It's the wonderful Richelle Mead's. :D**

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**Chapter Twenty-three**

**Welcome and Unwelcome Visitors**

"Stupid drunk-assed royal Moroi who can see stupid auras." I grumbled as I trudged on the muddied pavement.

I practically hated my life right now—no doubt about that. It was bad enough that my reputation was a tad bit ruined from the Strigoi attack that happened back at Missoula. But now? Adrian Ivashkov—_the_ Adrian Ivashkov knows what and who I am! That was truly unacceptable for me, considering that I didn't even know what I was. Okay, I know what I was but I couldn't be too sure.

My sensei once had hinted my father was one of the undead—that was the only reason why I assumed that my father could be a Strigoi. What more undead beings could there be in this world?

Those thoughts made me angrier—not at myself anymore, but to my father who had sex with my mother when he was a _FUCKING UNDEAD MAN!_ I growled silently from where I was and I swear I heard it echo.

It was a second later when I felt a presence. A _very_ unwelcome presence. I could smell her potently sweet perfume in the air and her blood. Oh, the blood. The blood smelled different… Somehow…_ tainted_.

I could hear her heartbeat from here and I knew that she saw me. She was hiding on the tree not too far away from me and that made it easier to take a read on her feelings. Well, if _she_ was feeling any fear in her. I could only smell fear. Fear always smelled strong and coppery just like blood. But now, Kathy wasn't the least bit intimidated by my presence.

I couldn't smell anything from her except that she'd been with another guy (who was not her boyfriend, Jesse), and that she was wearing too many fragrant on her. For short, she smelled nasty. Just like her attitude—nasty.

I sighed on where I was and pretended that I didn't feel her presence. I walked on.

Blood wouldn't have been shed if she didn't block my way.

She stood in front of me, looking smug and slutty as a bar maid in the most slutty place in the universe.

I looked up from her, bored. Anger flashed in her eyes when she saw my indifference. She stood up more straight in front of me, and crossed her painfully skinny arms over her luckily substantial chest.

She didn't wait for me to talk. "Listen up, bitch, if you don't back away from me, you are going _down_." Well, that was blunt.

"Kathy, to what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked like I didn't hear her.

Her amber eyes brightened with wrath. She started to raise her hand to slap me, but thought better of it. Smart one, this Kathy. If she had proceeded to slap me, she would have guaranteed her wrist won't be much of a use soon.

My palms itched to break her neck. Or arm at the least.

Her tawny eyes bore into mine with so much hate in her eyes, it could've scared a tiger dead. Well, not really, but you get what I mean.

"Oh," she put a hand on her pouty mouth to look innocent. "You wanna play with me?" she asked.

I knew that it was rhetorical, but I answered anyway. Just to annoy her. "I know that you know full well that I do not play with amateurs, Lesadux."

Her eyes brightened more if that was even possible. I'd give it to the girl, she wasn't intimidated. Not in the least, no.

"Are you calling me an amateur?" she asked with so much venom in her voice, I couldn't help but flinch. But I _didn't_. I didn't show weakness. Like _I_ had any weaknesses now.

"Of course I am. Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Kathy was taller than me by two inches or more, but she couldn't take me on a fight. Like _anyone_ could.

Oh, come on! Give me some freaking credit over here! That was what I wanted to shout at Kathy when she raised her hands to claw me. I should have admitted a long time ago that Kathy didn't like to be talked back at. But that was what I liked about them. I liked my enemies feisty.

I felt my own eyes shift in front of Kathy. "Do not anger me more, Moroi." I said in a low voice.

Her hands froze and she stared at me like I was a monster. It was true, I _am_ a monster. A monster with intentions.

"Do not tempt me into killing you." I continued in that dangerously low voice that I use around Strigoi. Kathy seemed to be frozen in place. She didn't even blink. Her eyes were glassy. If I couldn't hear her heartbeat race, I should have thought she was dead.

In the midst of my anger, she found her voice, but it wasn't the same haughty ones she used around me. "What are you?"

I stepped toward her and she stepped back, her eyes widening and her heart racing faster than it already was.

"What am I?" I questioned her and I felt my eyes shift again. It probably didn't look like a human's eyes now. Probably look like a cat's or a lizard's eyes. "I'm death."

Her eyes widened and the air around me was thick with her fear. I closed my eyes and inhaled, and then I felt my eyes shift again. I opened in to see that Kathy's skin had paled into a sickly color of grey.

She still had the strength and willpower to shake her head half-heartedly. "No, you're not. You're just scaring me."

A slow vicious smile crept to my lips. "I don't _scare_ people." I told her. She backed up at the expression on my face. "I _kill_ them." I, somehow, purred to her. Those purrs were more deadly than my growls. Almost all the Strigoi I had killed backed away from the sound of those nightmarish purrs.

Everything happened too fast for her to see then. I ran to her with my inhuman speed and wrapped my fingers around her neck, giving it s mediate squeeze. I could admit at how much I wanted to break her neck right then. She whimpered, but didn't say anything.

"Do you think I'm scaring you now?" I asked huskily to her ear.

She tried to grab my fingers and scratch me with her long nails, but I threw her to the ground. I had had enough of this Moroi's foolishness. This time, she will _pay_.

This time, my hands were burning. She saw them and her eyes widened like unbelievably large saucers. Her mouth opened into a perfect _O_ and she began to scream, but I silenced her with one flick of my wrist. I had the power to silence people at my own will, but you guessed right. There _is_ a drawback in that. The voice of the victim would be inside my head, not in the physical world where she would be heard. I never did this to anyone except to an annoying fortune teller back at Czech's faire.

She looked at me and screamed her mental lungs out. Her fear fed me. I was gaining power in her fear. To me, fear was…_ blood_.

With an audible click, I snapped out from my blood-lust and took in my surroundings. I was breathing hard because the air smelled with thick copper.

_Fear_, I part of me yearned. _Somebody's fearing you._

I looked at the girl who was lying in a forlorn shape in front of me. She backed away and whimpered silently.

"Shit," Did it again, didn't I?

Without any warning, the girl in front of me screamed in a high pitch, "MONSTER!"

I looked around if anybody had heard, but fortunately, we were in the middle of the dirt-pathed woods.

Kathy stood up then, all looking frightened and hysterical. Her eyes were mad at the moment, and I hoped that madness wouldn't last too long.

Kathy shook her perfect blonde wig and made insanely fast gestures with her hands. "Get away from me you fucking _monster_!" she backed away and made a cross with her fingers.

I eyed the crossed fingers for a second before I slapped her across her face. I needed to do it. The girl was hysterical and she needed to sober up again so that I could compel her to remember nothing of this night. Or nothing of this night that included me.

The slap was hard enough to send her propelling sideward. She tripped on her heels and she stumbled on the mud, her hair looking more brown than blonde.

I could hear her breathing raggedly as if she was holding her temper. I didn't give her any time to upset me more then. I kneeled next to her and jerked her face to my direction. I bore y gaze into her eyes and said the words that would make her forget that we met tonight.

"You didn't see me today. You don't remember anything that happened today that included me. You have not seen a monster or anything that frightened you."

She just looked at me for a moment, her gaze glazed, and then she nodded.

I knew how rude it was, but I was still more than a little mad at that little slut. I jerked her head away from me and that sent her lying on the mud again. She didn't respond after that, she just lay there for a few minutes and when her face sobered up, she went away, grumbling about her wig and her suit.

I sighed. I didn't know what I was sighing about, but it was just that. A sigh. Nothing more.

My head was throbbing a little but it was nothing compared to my guilt. I had lost my control over such a minor thing. I gave in to my blood-lust. Oh my, God, I _suck_.

I sighed again, but now, the sigh was from exasperation. I rubbed my eyes a little and turned back to where I had gone before.

And then I saw someone leaning against the tree. Even with my enhanced sight, his face was covered by the dark. I could see his frame though. He wasn't tall but he wasn't short either. He had the skin color that was familiar to Asian countries and he had that same sage posture almost all Asian men have back to those years when they weren't modernized yet.

I felt my body stiffen, but I managed to bow at the person like I normally did. I didn't straighten from my now, but just stayed like that while I mulled over about what he must have seen.

"Sensei, what a surprise this is."

I heard sensei move. "Yes, Rosemarie, I know what a surprise this must be to you." He said in a voice that silently told me that I was in huge trouble. "You may rise."

I swallowed. Whenever sensei comes, I always don't know about it. He had that cunning talent of his on sneaking up on people. Even on me. _Especially_ on me.

I swallowed, took a deep breath, and rose from my bow. "Sensei, with all due respect, may I know what you are doing here in the Moroi Royal court."

I could see sensei's face now and all I could say for myself was _sorry_.

"I was invited by the Queen." He told me curtly.

I stayed silent in front of him. He began pacing in front of me which meant that I was _really_ in big trouble. Sensei wasn't the one who moved when it wasn't necessary to. Sensei never got restless, but now, he was. _Is_.

"Yes, I am aware of that. Why are you in _here_? In the woods?" I asked in a slightly cautious voice.

He looked up at me from his shoes with a blank expression. "I had something to tell you."

"Oh, you didn't have to come looking for me everywhere. You know that you could use your mobile phone."

His eyes turned a little incredulous for a nano-second. He shook his head. "You know how I despise using those _things_." He told me and began to pace again. Okay, this was beyond weird. I knew that sensei didn't like using modernized things, but what he had to say to me must've been a very important one.

"You said you wanted to tell me something." I said slowly, noting every move sensei did. "What was it?"

He stopped on his tracks to look at me. He told me something in his language that made me more than a little surprised.

"HERE?!" I half-shrieked. I was shocked. I had been too negligent in my surroundings. I was _fucking_ careless!

Sensei nodded, but he was feeling as grim as me. He had faith in, I knew that, but his reaction was just getting a little off-hand.

"You're scared." I said.

He didn't bother denying it. "Yes, I am." From his tone, I knew what he would be saying next. "A man who does not fear is a folly to his kin." His dark eyes searched mine. "You fear of this, Rosemarie?"

Meekly, I nodded. "I was not like this before, sensei. I was brave and—"

He cut me off by repeating the Zen lesson that he had just said. "If you do not fear, it means you are not one of _us_."

I didn't let him see how it stung for him to say that, but it was the truth.

"Tell me the truth, Rosemarie. Do you fear or not?" He wasn't only asking about the Strigoi situation here in Pennsylvania now. He was asking me if I could _feel_ fear myself.

"I fear, sensei." I said, bowing my head to tell him that I was telling him the truth.

"If you fear, then there is less chance of you going to the dark side." Sensei said mysteriously. His words raised goose-bumps on my arms.

I looked at him, confused. "What does that mean?"

Instead of answering me, he asked me something. "Did you remember me telling you that 'a wise ___man does not fear_; a man afraid does not think'?"

Truthfully, the memory was hazy. I was still about six years old when he told me that. It was also the time that he started to train me for battles. "Yes, sensei, I remembered." I said, bowing my head again.

"I had been lying."

I looked at him, surprised. For the first time, sensei admitted that he lied. For the first time again, I thought that he was telling the truth about him lying to me, too.

"There is no man who does not fear. Even the undead—they fear." He continued, and leaned against a tree.

I crossed my arms over my chest and shifted to my other foot—a motion I never did in front of sensei. "What do you mean by _undead_?" I didn't even bother saying _sensei_.

"Strigoi." Just one word, my world titled into a new one.

I hid my scowl and nodded slowly. "What do they fear?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.

"They fear you, Slayer."

I looked up at sensei, confused. He had never approved of me staying out late for Strigoi-slaying, but he just called me my title in the Moroi world.

The way he said it—he made it sound like it was…_special_. Like it was a compliment you give to someone who was wearing a very pretty dress at a party. Okay, the latter was a bad analogy, but still.

I didn't say anything but just inclined my head for sensei to continue.

"Follow the signs given to you, Slayer, to find your salvation."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" I asked, a little uncomfortable that sensei wasn't calling me _his_ Rosemarie anymore.

As if he read my mind, he said, "I do not owe you anymore. Slayer is your formal title to me, but in public, I am inclined to say Rosemarie."

"Well, that's just fucked up."

Sensei looked like he was about to slap my mouth, but thought better of it. Sensei never liked swear words. Especially the "F" word.

Sensei bowed his head a little and gave out a frustrated sigh. "Follow the signs, Slayer. I am not always here to guide you." Sensei said and looked at me squarely in the eyes.

I didn't have the guts to question him further. If I did have those guts, I was sure he wouldn't answer directly anyway. "Yes, sensei, I will follow the signs."

"_Bien,"_ Sensei liked the French language and he always spoke them when he was relieved or somehow in some situation that he was reassured.

I was glad that sensei was reassured. But I wasn't.

"Have you opened _votre bibelot_?" he asked me, curiosity slightly gleaming on his dark eyes.

_Bibelot_, I racked my mental dictionary and found out that it was a trinket—a box of some sort.

"Yes, I did." I told sensei.

He had that look on his face that spoke volumes. Volumes of I didn't know what.

"Have you opened _la bibelot_ further?"

What the heck was me talking about?

"Eh?"

"Open in further." was all he said before he disappeared.

Way to go for help, sensei.

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**Not much excitement in this chapter, but I think the next one will be a Slayer one.**

**Give me lots of REVIEWS, they make my day and it will make me write faster.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**

**xx**


	26. Slay the Vikings

**Hey, guys, I'd just liked to remind y'all that this story isn't only consisted of Moroi, Strigoi, humans and dhampirs. There will also be other mythical/legendary creatures too. AND from my addiction to Supernatural, I'd be kinda making some of the chapters of it as a ****crossover**** it. I know I didn't put this on the VA/Supernatural crossover, but it's not really the main idea of this story. I just want hunters. Is that okay?**

**And I just want to say that this story isn't all rainbows and butterflies. Just to note that Rose the Slayer isn't perfect. She has her own weaknesses. Some of you think that she's perfect and all, but she is NOT. I don't like Rose to be a Mary Sue.**

**Enjoy the chapter :D**

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**Chapter Twenty-four**

**Slay the Vikings**

"Hi, it's Lissa." Her voicemail said in an overly perky voice. "I'm sorry, but I'm not anywhere near my phone right now, because if I had, I would've picked up. But anyway, leave a message after the beep."

I should say, her voicemail was a bit more eccentric than other formal ones. Well, that's Lissa to you.

The phone beeped.

"Hey, Liss, if you're looking for me, I'm not at the court right now. I have some _business_ to attend to." I said and hung up. It was crappy using a phone booth to call if you have a phone. Unfortunately, I have none now.

It wasn't easy getting out of the royal court without anybody knowing except for the guards. There were cameras on every inch of the court and I had to cleverly disengage them for me to get out without being seen through them. The guards were easy-going enough for me to compel them to open the gate and let me through.

Sensei didn't tell me where the Strigoi were, but I pretty much guessed where they were. At least two Strigoi had been lingering outside the court's gate for some reason and I followed their scent. It was still a quarter after one when I arrived at a luxuriously large, spacious manor. The manor looked like it had better days, but now; it more looked like a haunted house. A perfect place for Strigoi to hide.

I stood there in the shadows, watching, as three Strigoi argue. They looked like they were about to rip their heads off, but it surprised me when they kept their cool. Strigoi were known to be the most temperamental being.

One of them was a girl that looked like she was in her early teen years, and the other two were men—both bulky and tall—but it looked like their leader was the girl teen.

The girl had that air of power and arrogance most old Strigoi have. As she snapped orders to her two "servants" she also made flashing motions on her wrist that seemed too fast even for a Strigoi.

"Make five more rounds. I don't want anyone in our territory. Watch out for the Slayer, although I don't think he'll ever come." I was a bit surprised that they didn't know that _the_ Slayer wasn't a boy.

The girl had a thick accent that probably came from some place in Europe. Sweden, I think.

"Yes, Cornelia," the two Strigoi said and started walking off in different directions.

Cornelia growled something in another language that I—again—didn't understand. I should improve my linguistic skills now. I made a mental note to study every language in the whole wide world.

The two Strigoi stiffened, but they kept walking. When they were gone from the Strigoi girl, Cornelia's sight, she glided into the manor with perilously airy grace. Just like how I walk when unguarded.

I think I must have just found my Strigoi rival here.

Yes, the girl was _very_ old. As old as the manor they were staying at. She had that blonde hair that reminded me of half-naked Vikings, and eyes filled with barbaric hunger…yikes. She could be—what?—a thousand years old? Being a Strigoi Slayer for only six years, I had only met and slaughtered a handful of Strigoi with those ages. Those Strigoi were so rare nowadays, and I kind of found pleasure in slaying them. I know, cold-blooded of me, but they _are_ Strigoi—practically evil incarnate. And what am I? Buffy incarnate? Pft, I'd laugh at that. Even my impassionate sensei would laugh at that.

I took my time rounding and assessing the manor. I want to make a silent entrance—so unlike the ones I've been doing before. I didn't want to be seen or anything—I was in Pennsylvania, dammit! The Moroi Royal Court was here, and I'm not pushing any of my luck. For all I know, the Queen could've set this up to trap me.

It took me about thirty minutes to analyze every inch of the manor and its surroundings. I had my time breaking and taking odd Strigoi heads who stumbled my way.

"How many are you?" I had asked a young male Strigoi while surrounding him with my fire.

His eyes had blazed red at me. "Kill me now."

I had neared the ring of my fire at his body and he flinched. "I am the Slayer, you foolish Strigoi."

His eyes had widened a little. He had to be older than I thought. No one—not even a hundred year-old—could be this good at hiding expressions.

"Answer me," I had said, adding a compulsive wave on my voice.

His eyes had drooped as he said, "We are thirteen all in all, but some are supposed to arrive."

"When'll they arrive?"

The Strigoi had shrugged. "I don't know."

_Fuck_, I had swore silently. "Last question. Where is the best entrance in the manor? Where I couldn't be seen."

He shook his head. "It is impossible not to be seen in the manor."

"Best entrance?"

"Back door. It leads to the kitchen. Nobody ever goes there." He had told me.

"Good boy." I said and pulled the trigger on my silver-induced syringe gun to his neck. He could've dodged it, but the fire around him would have made his escape pretty painful. The metal tipped dart had landed sleekly on the vein of his neck. His form had made a little shriveling, and then he collapsed.

I had made a little salute. I could see _molnija_ marks at the back of his neck. "Peace on you,"

He being a guardian was my answer to his age. From the look of the tattoo—all greenish and a bit faded—looked like it was there for a lifetime on a dhampir. About sixty years or so.

Now, I was at the back door, rotating the knob as silently as I could. When I opened the door, it was creaky and a bit creepy. The air around it was stagnant of a living being. But there was something dead…or undead.

I scanned the kitchen through the door sill. I didn't want to risk any chances. _Again_.

I inhaled the air. Yep, there definitely was something dead or undead. With the reeking odor of death, and blood topped off with a heartbeat—it was definitely the latter. That taught me a lesson to never listen to a Strigoi. Not only now, but never ever.

I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, and then busted in and shot the Strigoi to his neck where a vein was pumping blood rapidly from his reaction.

In three seconds sharp, the Strigoi was down without a sound. The silver liquid had seeped into his system quickly due to the rate of his heartbeat.

I closed the door, and walked silently to the manor's sitting room. The air indicated that there were five Strigoi there, at the least. There were other scents that I could only put as a human. Maybe, just maybe.

I yawned and listened to their conversation. There were only thirteen of them (of that I was sure), and I had killed seven of them, so… I guess they were six left now.

Luckily, the Strigoi were speaking in English, but the accent kind of blew me off.

"_Jur mazter iz navr goyng ta mek it_." a male said with a very thick Swedish—I guessed—accent.

"_Lak hii avr comes."_ I heard Cornelia reply. Her accent was nearly as worse as the guy's.

Their conversation continued in less important matters. I was listening to them in order to get some information, but this was just ridiculous.

I pursed my lips as I took out my silver mace ball and twin dagger. I had my other best friend Revvie (it's short for revolver) with me, too. It was now loaded with silver bullets I made and any Strigoi shot by this would be dead to the world. I tightened my mask on my face, and took in a deep cleansing breath.

I was about to step into the sitting room and start shooting every Strigoi in sight before I heard someone with the worst Swedish or Transylvanian accent say, "_Vat are vee goyng zo do vith da jyuman_?"

"Human," I said to myself, not so surprised. I had seen a black Chevy Impala not far from the manor. I had suspected that something was up because it was unlikely for Strigoi on travel could get a car that easily. Not that Strigoi didn't have sources, but I think you know what I mean.

Cornelia said, "Oh, I almost forgot our little toy." I could understand her words clearly now. She had the slightest of all Swedish accents of these six Viking or whatever they were Strigoi inside.

I heard a loud and manly exhalation that sounded like a grunt. I think the guy was gagged or something. God, I hate being blind. Or semi-blind through the wall.

"Take off that gag. It looks like a drool bib on him." I heard Cornelia snap in time when I stepped inside the sitting room. I didn't give myself time to assess my surroundings—I just threw the silver mace ball on the first Strigoi I could see, and made Revvie do the other job.

Another female blonde Strigoi jumped up to me, her wolf-like claws ready to scratch every inch of my face. I took out my silver dagger to slash her pretty hair for fun, but before I could, I heard a gunshot. My mind registered that it wasn't only a raw gunshot, but it sounded like it had a silencer on. And I could smell silver on the bullets. Shit. Guardians with guns. Just what I needed right now, I thought silently.

The female Strigoi wasn't shot directly on the heart, so I drove my silver dagger through her heart and left it there to rot with her friggin' Viking body.

I ran and didn't mind the human shouting from the chair. I didn't even merely take a peek at him. I focused on the monsters in hand. As I would always silently say when I'm slaying—they were not only monsters now; they were _my_ monsters. They were like my evil children that I needed to take care of, and the only way to take care of them was by killing them.

I jumped up and I couldn't help but think how awfully quiet I was being now. I didn't let out any battle cry, or grunts. I was just…stealthy. And I kind of liked it. I didn't use my powers to eliminate the other two Strigoi, but I just used my gun. Ugh, I was getting dependent on my freaking gun. Damn.

One male Strigoi with—again—blonde hair and blazing red-ringed blue eyes charged to attack me. I had my silver dagger with me and I mercilessly slashed it deep into his neck, cutting off his head. Did I ever mention that my daggers were newly sharpened? No, I guess I didn't, but the answer to that would be a yes, my daggers' are sharpened.

I saw the light go out of his eyes, as blood squirted everywhere not below my neck. Before his head had dropped to the carpeted floor, I had stabbed another Strigoi in the heart deep. I stuck my dagger in and his eyes got wide and his very pale face turned even paler if that was even possible. I twisted the dagger on my grasped and the Strigoi in my care jerked, and then drooped.

I had dropped the body when I heard the scream. The scream was piercing and barbaric, it could only be owned by one girl in the manor. Or rather one teenage Viking Strigoi in the manor.

"_Poot ol jur gans zaon_!" Translation: Put all your guns down. The heck for Swedish accents. **(A/N: No pun intended)**

With an irritated sigh, I dropped my revolver down. _Only_ my revolver down. I still had my other weapons with me.

"_Aye zed voot jur gans zaon_!" Cornelia screamed, and I heard something drop not far from behind me. Surely, they were the guardians. Damn, I feared for them. God damn Strigoi and their loud voices. I hated loud stuffs—they make me uneasy. "_Voot zee vlaids zaon_!" Again, translation: Put the blades down.

I sighed, turned around to face Cornelia and put my hands on my hips. It was such a waste that she doesn't get to see the expression on my face right now. I raised one hand up from my hip and motioned my hands like what indignant teenage girls do on TV. "Are you _ordering_ me?" I asked, my voice deep and dangerous.

I gave it to her; the teen Viking was far from backing away. "_Aye have evrii rayt tso order ju_." She growled at me, but didn't make a move to pounce. Yet.

Now I had enough with these foolish Strigoi games. I dropped my hands to my sides and looked Cornelia deep into her red-ringed blue eyes. It was then that I noticed that she wasn't looking at me directly in the eye. She was avoiding eye-contact with the Slayer—how…_bad_. The Slayer part of me didn't like that, and she went ballistic with rage. The animalistic rage mirrored in my eyes and it caught her attention. She slowly looked up from my neck to my eyes. I saw her lean form stiffen with hidden fear, and let me tell _you_! Strigoi fear was mouthwatering.

Her eyes lost its red as her breathing hitched higher until she couldn't speak properly.

"You're the Slayer." She squeaked with a not-so accented voice.

"I am." I felt my eyes shift. "Do you know what I do?"

She looked uncertain for a nano-second, but she shook her head. I could clearly tell she was lying.

"Stop lying to me, Cornelia." I said in my scary-calm voice. "I know that you know what I do." I was using compulsion now.

Her eyes glazed and they danced for a second or two. "You kill people like me,"

"Do you know what people like you are?" I asked, still compelling.

"Vampires,"

"What kind of vampires?"

"God-like vampires. We can do whatever we want. Unlike my human life, we were never free to choose whatever we like. Even for Vikings." She explained in a slightly dreamy voice. Her accent was getting lighter, so I could clearly understand her. She looked up at me and asked, "Would you like to be one of us?"

A small smile crept to my lips. "Since you asked so nicely, I'd have to say no."

She frowned. "Oh, that's too bad."

"_But_, I do want something for you."

She smiled up at me, and I had a little flashback of her being the nice half-naked Viking girl in town, flashing people genuine smiles or those kinds of stuff. "What is it that you want?"

"I want to know who sent you here." I said, and then heard pretty loud gunshots.

Cornelia's eyes glittered at me for a second or two, and then her body slumped. I was a bit shocked at the abruptness of it all that I just stared at her body. Her back was to me and it was clear that whoever shot Cornelia had hit the heart.

_What rotten luck I have_, I thought silently. I should've had the answers to all my Strigoi-related problems by now, but the BITCH was _fucking_ shot!

With silent swearing, I looked up to see who shot my source of information. Or probably the answer to all my Strigoi-related problems. Those assumptions didn't make me feel any better.

The first thing I saw was smoke… then two forms. One was tall and wide-shouldered, and his face looked battered, but other than that, he was—inserts wolf-whistle there—handsome. The other one was a lot taller and a little less bulky. He had long-ish brown hair and—Oh my, Zenith, what the heck is Dimitri doing with a gun?!

Well, I thought it was Dimitri before he spoke.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a perfect American accent.

My hands and body felt numb. "Yeah," I said and from the stress of it all, I swayed a bit.

The two guys dropped their gun, and ran to me with none other than human speed. Ugh, I was so smart for thinking they were friggin' guardians with guns.

The taller guy caught me on my mid-sway. "Dean, get the car, and we'll take—" he stopped and asked me if I was a girl or not.

"I'm straight, buddy." I joked and tried to push him away. I didn't notice then at how weak I was.

The tall guy named Dean went out, giving me one last wary glance.

"What did they do to you?" he asked me, his hazel eyes looking at me with concern. "And your eyes." His face scrunched up a little. Okay, his face scrunching up a little was an understatement. His noticeably wide forehead furrowed and a line appeared on the middle of his eyebrows.

"Oh, I…" I successfully pulled away from him. "They're…contact lenses to scare my little brother." I excused smoothly and picked up my stuff. I got my mace ball, too.

"You got weapons…" he said and then trailed off.

I looked at him and applied the least compulsion on my eyes and voice. "It's nothing. You didn't see anything."

He looked taken aback, but he let it go. Well, not really, because I could still see curiosity in his eyes. He looked down and murmured an apology.

I narrowed my eyes at him. It was my first time to encounter a human that doesn't respond to my compulsive wishes.

"What are you?" he asked all of a sudden.

I looked at his eyes and said in a firm voice, "Nothing." I turned my heels on him and started to take off, but he caught my wrist. I turned around slowly to face him.

"Please, just tell me what you are." He said in a pleadingly silent tone. His eyes begged for me to say it too.

I mentally rolled my eyes and asked him a question. "Weren't you just looking?"

He shook his head. "I was busy untying my brother."

"Didn't your brother see anything I did?"

"He was blind-folded."

I almost let out a sigh of relief. "Those crazy people tried to bite me." I told him in a mock frightened voice.

His eyes turned sympathetic. I was such a great actress that I should be awarded for this. "Don't worry, they're gone now." I let him take me in his arms. He was such a tall guy that I felt like a baby chick next to his rooster father.

It took me time to register that I was shaking. It wasn't from anything, but I was just shaking. Damn.

"Do you have a name?" he asked me.

"Marie," I told him. It was close enough to my name.

"Okay, Marie,I'm Sam and I want you to trust me." He said and I nodded. "Dean and I better take you back to your home." He told me in time when I heard a sound of a car pulled up in front of the manor in a way that I found alarming.

Sam heard that too because he started running, pulling me with him. We got out of the manor in record time and saw the shiny black Impala waiting for us. Dean was standing on the driver's seat's door, wound-up and anxious.

"Other cars coming this way." He said in a careless voice, but I could easily see through him that he was being urgent.

I stopped on my tracks. "What kind of cars?" I asked Dean.

He looked at me from head to toe. "Black vans."

Black vans—those were what guardians drive. They must have had heard the conspicuous Strigoi killings and jumped in to attack in hopes of killing Strigoi or finding the Slayer. Damn, we had to move. Fast.

I hurried inside the car, not bothering to see Dean's reaction. "We have to get out of here! Now!" I shouted in panic and Dean stomped the accelerator and we swiftly passed by the gate. We didn't get time to escape from the guardians, but Dean expertly hid the Impala behind a huge tree but just kept the engine running.

I looked through the Impala's window and saw that some of the guardians involved there were Dimitri and Alberta. They were in guardian mode, so I could clearly see that their eyes were darting all over the place. When almost all of the over-excited guardians were inside the manor, they were called in and they left the manor's front lawn—leaving us ready to go.

When we were on the land of civilization, Sam made it his time to ask. "Did you know those people?"

I looked at him and shook my head. "Nope. Never seen them before."

"But you knew what they were."

I shrugged at him. "Police?"

This time, Dean spoke up. "No, they were no goddamn police; I should have known or seen them before." He had that expression on his face that would've intimidated any girl around him. And intimidated in a good way. He exposed a lot of male sex appeal unlike his brother who looked a little innocent despite his tall build. His dimples sort of gave him out from being a serial killer.

I raised my brow at Dean through the rear-view mirror. "Why not?"

He smiled at me and it appeared jolly and full of glee despite the situation we were in. "I'm a wanted vigilante in the whole US, didn't you know?"

"Dean—" Sam started but Dean cut him off.

"You look good with your mask." He told me and winked through the mirror again.

Sam turned to look at me with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry about my brother here. It's just that—"

I raised my hand to stop him. "Don't apologize. I know how brothers are. Got one myself." I lied smoothly.

He smiled but his lips were tight.

"Where are you from?" Dean asked me.

"Oh, I'll just point the directions. Just go through there…"

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**So, like the chapter?**

**Leave a review. I didn't get the time to check my typos and grammars, so I'm sorry if they're messy.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**

**xx**


	27. Mysteries Solved ?

**I was just sending my little brother to his school when I heard the scariest thing in the world: Nursery Rhymes. I don't know why I always get the heebie-jeebies when I hear them.**

**Thanks for the awesome reviews, too!  
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**Enjoy the chapter :D**

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**Chapter Twenty-five**

**Mysteries Solved (?)**

"Are you sure this is the way to your house?" Sam asked anxiously on the front seat.

We were about half a kilometer away from the Royal Moroi Court by now, and we were passing by the woods. If you're wondering if I'd show them to the court's gate, the answer would be a no. So, that was why I let them stop in the middle of the woods.

"I'm here," I told them and Dean slowed down. Both Sam and Dean looked back at me like I was some crazy psycho ready to take on a rabid wolf.

"What?" I asked, feigning innocence.

"You live in the middle of the woods." said Dean.

"No shit, Sherlock." I said and snapped, "You don't remember me. You didn't see me from the old manor." I compelled and Dean's eyes glazed for a second, and then he nodded. I looked at Sam, and I could see that he was more than a little confused. "You didn't see me, okay?"

His face scrunched up like before, but he nodded, still looking confused.

When I got out of the car, I was wondering. Why would a human be immune to my compulsion?

***Next day—approximately 2:32 AM in Moroi time***

Lissa and Mia were asleep.

There was no fun to do because Mason and my dhampir gang were caught yesterday at midnight being the perverts they were.

I couldn't practice today because Dimitri was doing some investigating for a "project" of his.

The worst part was, I knew what Dimitri's so-called project was. It was finding me. Now, in my bored to death state, I even considered giving myself up to him and tell him it was I he was looking for.

That was what boredom does to you. Some lucky people get to keep their sanity, but some just don't. But now, I'd prefer to be insane rather than to have my sanity intact—as I said before, that was what boredom does to you. It makes you crazy even though you're not crazy. I know, I make no sense.

I stood up from my upside-down position on my bed, and got my purse. I had almost forgot about the message in the bottle. I held the yellowing paper in my hand, weighing it in.

I sat on my chair and unfolded the paper. The calligraphy was beautiful and plainly feminine. It read:

_I still love you. You don't know how much I still do, and I hate myself for it. One of the flaws of loving somebody too much is that you want them to be happy. The reason why I gave you away was because I loved you. And also, altruism doesn't help me that much._

_I wish I never got angry when you told me you were planning to leave, but at that time, I was messed up and distressed from Nook's death. I hoped that you would have understood me. After our fight that very unfaithful day, we never talked for two days. You didn't know how miserable and guilty I felt. I wanted so badly to go back to the past to right my wrongs. Or at least right what I had said to you. I tried contacting you, but there never was an answer to any them._

_But then you came the third day. I was so happy, I couldn't contain it. I would have run into your arms if there wasn't another girl occupying it. Let me be just selfish for once by saying this—it hurt me more than I was letting you see._

_The worst part there was knowing that I really didn't care about your feelings anymore. All I could think about was, "What would happen to me?" I know, it was very selfish of me, and I loathed myself for it. That was being selfish twice then._

_But in the long run, I realized that I wasn't that too self-centered of a woman._

_I made you happy, and I lived in contentment by knowing you were all well and satisfied._

_I never fell in love with anybody again after you. I had numerous suitors, but they were nothing compared to you. All the time, I wish I could get you back, but I knew that it was impossible. You love Natalia and she loves you. You loved me too, but maybe not as much as I loved you._

_When the day came I heard that you had gone to sea, I was anxious to see if you were okay. From then, I was never well. I heard that your boat had sunk from the unexpected storm. You never survived, and I felt like I died with you._

_The reason why I'm writing this letter is just to let you know that I never stopped loving you unlike what I had said. I'm giving this letter to the sea so that, by any means, you could read it and somehow forgive yourself for leaving me. I'm giving you back the anchor pendant you gave me. You said you would give this to the one you truly loved, and you never took it back from me, and that was why I hoped that you would be back for me._

_I forgave you a long time ago. I love you. I wanted you back but it was just too late._

_A._

My first reaction was a bit confused, but when it sunk in, a felt my eyes prickle with tears. And then I became a tad bit annoyed.

"How the hell is this supposed to help me?" I asked myself, remembering my questions last night. "This doesn't even cover up the flying question." I grumbled, stood up, and threw the paper on my bed.

I stretched my stiff body and closed my eyes, listening to my joints pop.

And then suddenly, the words—or rather song sounded out of nowhere. My first impression on the voice was…well,_ snotty_, but as the lyrics sunk in, I let out a surprised yelp.

_I don't know much_

_But I know I love you_

I looked around for my phone or iPod to see if the music came from there, but when I checked both, the music was long gone and my room sounded quieter than before. For one crazy second, I thought I had some kind of fairy godmother to grant my wishes or at least answer my questions in some cryptic and abominably mysterious ways. I immediately shook that thought off, and wondered if I hadn't forgotten if I had medication to take.

With an irritated sigh, I put the letter back to my purse… and then stopped on my tracks on the way to my purse because something sparkled on my line of sight. Being whatever I was, I had a fondness to sparkly and expensive stuffs. I know, I'm like a hybrid Strigoi-slash-dhampir version of a crow or whatever animal that likes sparkly things.

My irritation faded, and was replaced by admiration. The trinket box sat there on the wooden dresser, glittering almost obnoxiously under the lampshade that stood like a guard next to the antique trinket box.

I put down the love letter and slowly approached the coaxing trinket box. I knew it sounded absurdly crazy, but now, I just knew that there was something inside the box that wanted—needed me to come. Sparkly things had never had this strong an effect on me—they were just merely a sided hindrance to my sight before.

When I was finally holding the box between my hands, it felt cold to my touch—unlike before, they had been warm and reassuring.

"How am I going to open you further?" For half a second, I thought the trinket box would answer the question or open itself further for me at the least, but in reality, answers and wishes just weren't granted easily. So that was why I gave a sigh, and made an oath to hunt down sensei (figuratively) if there wasn't anything inside this _bibelot_, as he had called it. I broke the trinket box from my mom into two.

I should say that I was surprised to see two things fall out of the trinket box. I hadn't been expecting anything to come out—I just figured sensei was messing with me, but it was highly unlikely that he'd do such a _dishonorable thing_ (as he'd like to put it). One of the two things that fell out was a paper. It was small and yellowing like the paper of the slightly infuriating love letter had. It was a bit crumpled with age, and I could see the marks and depression the writer has made on the paper. The other thing was a silver metal slab with a weird coppery outline. If I didn't know any better, I would have said that the thing was a badge, but it was definitely not. Just the touch of my palm, I could feel the bound power it possessed.

I looked at the silver slab of metal skeptically. From its physical appearance, it didn't look anything special, but when you have handy-but-crappy powers in hand, you could feel that this piece of junk metal could probably be life-altering.

With the slightest indecision, I put the metal slab aside and unfolded the small piece of paper that came with it. The paper felt very soft and fragile that I thought it was probably two-hundred years old. With a small, nice writing, it read:

_You are proscribed. Seek thee confidant._

The note was very short and terse. Probably blunt—straight to the point that I had no knowledge or awareness of. _Proscribe_ was a word that had some crossed-out relations to the word blessed or graced—which meant that the note was stating that I might be damned, condemned or maybe I was in some sort of undesirable state of humanity. _Peachy_.

My first fleeting thought was:_ I am never going to break open a trinket box again. _But then I gathered my wits just two seconds later. I began to think fast, throwing on the first clothes my hands could touch, and then with the metal slab and note inside a pouch, I took off to where sensei was.

Sensei, I knew, had a distinct heartbeat sound. Everybody did. Sensei's heartbeat wasn't a lot like anyone else's deep pumping sounds, but his were like drum rolls in the dark. I know that it sounds really crazy, but when I just focus on his heartbeat, I could almost _feel_ where it came from—the dark. Again, it sounds really crazy, but I don't care what anybody else thinks about that—it's a twenty-eighty chance of making people believe that I could feel these weird stuff about heartbeats. They would probably believe that I turn pale when I'm under the sun rather than believe that I could decipher heartbeats.

I caught sensei's scent too, and I was more than a little surprised that he was in the court's bar at this time. I shook my head to shake off the thought of sensei drinking whiskies from their bottles, and walked toward the almost empty bar, passing by the humans who stared at me.

One girl caught my attention, she was on her phone and when she saw me, she stopped on her tracks, and stopped talking to her phone pal, too. Her phone was buzzing with her phone pal's voice, saying if she was still there, but she didn't answer. But when I stepped away from her view, she muttered a sorry to her buddy and grumbled something about weird contacts. I didn't know what contact she meant—the contacts on her phone or the lenses? Anyway, I walked in the bar and saw sensei sitting on a booth all alone and with nothing on his table. He looked like he was waiting for a certain somebody.

I hopped in on his booth, dropping the pouch in front of him. He looked from the pouch, then to me. And then his reaction surprised me—he sighed, closing his eyes, and shook his head. Well, that was way freaky. Sensei _never_ did those physical motions of disapproval. Well, okay, he did those stuff, but only when I got myself in pretty big trouble and then we have to move to another country.

I merely frowned at his reaction, and then smiled when a waitress came to our booth with a still-smoking dim sum meal. Dim sum meals were my favorite cuisine and I hadn't been able to eat them since I got inside the academy.

Before I could snatch the dim sum, sensei grabbed it out of my reach. He waited until the waitress was gone to speak.

"Look at your eyes." He said and handed me a spoon.

I did, using the spoon to look at my eyes. I just hunched my shoulders and frowned when I saw that my eye color was washed-out, almost white. "I thought I shifted this back to normal." I said and shifted it again to my normal brown eye color. It didn't.

"You are proscribed." Said sensei, scaring me a little at how he sounded. His voice was deep and husky, the way they usually sounded when he was overwhelmed.

I goggled at him. "That's what the paper said." I pointed at the pouch.

He opened the pouch and peered inside.

"What does it mean, sensei? The paper said to _seek thee confidant_. You _are_ my confidant. Do you know anything about this?" When he didn't answer, I asked, "Is this paper stating my—or somebody else's alleged damned future?"

I think it was half an hour until he answered. "The paper is not the one stating your future, Slayer." Again with the Slayer calling—it really scared the beejesus out of me.

"Then what is?" I was getting a little impatient.

"Where is _la bibelot_?" he asked me instead.

It took all my will power not to slam my forehead on the table top. "I broke it."

He nodded. "I thought so." was all he said.

"What did you think so?"

"That you have, somehow, destroyed _la bibelot_. Nobody can destroy it except for the proscribed."

"And what does this proscription mean?" He didn't answer. "How'd you know that I'm the one who's really proscribed and not another person who committed all the seven deadly sins?"

He looked at me. "Your eyes are washed-out and pale. If you cry, it won't be normal tears anymore."

Okay, that was weird. I changed the subject. "So, are you going to tell me what this freaky paper is talking about?"

"Of course," he answered almost immediately.

"Good. Start then."

"You will travel through water, across the Goddess's womb, and then you will cross paths with the one who has your answers." He told me with that infuriating "mysterious" voice again.

I goggled at him again, now feeling helpless. "Sensei Ying, could you please answer me the way I want to be answered?" I practically begged.

"You are going to the place where your _bibelot_ originated."

"France?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Czechoslovakia,"

I scratched my head. Yes, I actually scratched my head. "That's Czech Republic, right?"

"Give the girl a cookie," Sensei said. I looked at him—he just made a joke. My sensei just made a joke.

And then aside from thinking my sensei just made a joke, he had something going on in his brain right now. Back at the academy when I was spying on the guardians invisible, I had seen a locket very similar to mine with a label that said: _10-11-07/Blansko, CZ_. Maybe the place was just a coincidence, a part of my mind tried to convince me, but this thing was just too big to be a coincidence—it shouldn't be.

I fingered my locket and then showed it to sensei. "What do you know about this locket, sensei?"

He looked at it and said, "That is your mother's charm. Where did you get it?" There was no emotion on his voice. He looked indifferent, and I couldn't get a read on his real emotions now. Which was weird because I had been studying psychology for years now. But then sensei must have had more years of practice to hide his emotions. Sensei looked like an old man, but he moved like he wasn't a year later than nineteen.

I eyed the locket. "I found it on the bed when I was packing to go to the academy."

He inclined his head for me to continue. "It was locked before and then the trinket box you gave me, it had this key and it opened this locket."

Sensei looked indifferent still. "I assume the inside of the locket was your mother's photograph?"

I nodded and then he nodded, too. "So…?"

"So you have to go to Czechoslovakia by water." He said as if it was the most common thing in the world.

Again, I goggled at him (a fact that I was ashamed of, but I was too confused to care). "And when I go to this place, will the one who has my answers pop up and tell me what the heck is going on?"

"Naturally, you would seek _it_."

"_It_?" I asked, totally confused.

"You subject is a neuter."

"Huh," was my brilliant response.

"Really, Rosemarie, haven't you figured it out yet?" asked sensei. Yay, I'm Rosemarie again.

"Nu-uh."

I swear I saw sensei shoulders slump. "You have to decipher these mysteries on your own, Rosemarie." Said my sensei sagely. I had a quick flashback of our conversation in the woods. "I am not always here to guide you."

"But you're here now." I said, feeling utterly helpless. He hadn't clarified anything—in fact, he just filled me with more questions than answers.

He shook his head. "I have been ordered, Rosemarie. I am sorry about the fact that you are roaming this world blind." Who the heck would order sensei around? Do they have a death wish or something? Does the Queen know anything about this?

He handed me the pouch. "Take the tool with you."

I slipped the pouch inside my leather jacket's inside pocket. "You are supposed to be my confidant." I said.

He shook his head. "I am only your guide, Rosemarie. Find your confidant and you will be conscious to the world that surrounds you…" was all he said before he disappeared out of thin air. Yup, sensei does that _all_ the time.

The tranquil and silence around the bar turned into a cacophony of voices. There were now people inside, eating and drinking and they just actually appeared out of nowhere. They weren't here before. I _am_ sure that there were only two or three people inside the bar before.

Feeling stressed, I grabbed the dim sum sensei ordered and chomped down. It was only a second after I had shifted my eye color into brown (unnaturally, that is—the _now_ original color of my eyes was washed-out pale grey due to my "proscription") when two guys in tuxes entered the bar with the air of potency and arrogance self-assured male had. _And _I happened to recognize those two males from last night.

They were Sam and Dean Winchester. Or the FBI.

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**So…what'ya think? Still a mystery, huh?**

**Leave me a review!**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**

**xx**


	28. Winchester Brothers

**Hey, guys! Surprised to see me update early? Well, to tell y'all the truth, I was excited! And that's the reason why this chapter is long. :D LOL! Maybe some of your questions will be answered here. Just so you all know, the message in the bottle at the last chapter wasn't random—that's all I'm going to say.**

**Enjoy the chapter! :D**

**Oh, geez, I almost forgot. Dean and Sammy are not mine. They are Eric Kripke's. And VA is not mine too!**

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**Chapter Twenty-six**

**Winchester Brothers**

It was obvious that they were impersonating some FBI agents because for one, I knew them from yesterday's encounter and they were far from being Federal agents with their weapon of choices like the silver bullets. With the chatter of voices inside the bar, I could hear and taste that they were a bit feared on the humans. It was good that there were no Moroi around at this time.

They were still at the door when I stood from my seat and hurried over to the bartender inside the liquor house. I had heard that her name was Magda from her friend. She was a really pretty girl—she looked absolutely Spanish-beautiful with her long black hair and very dark eyes that looked like they were black.

Now, Magda was crouching over a case of new beers, putting them inside the refrigerator. Her nice long hair was piled into a messy bun, and her bartending clothes showed-off how a merchandise she was.

"Hey, Magda!" I called.

She turned around. "Oh, hey, can I help you?" she asked. I knew that Magda was a friendly girl, but when you mess around with her job, you'd be better off with a rabid dog than her.

"Yeah, I'm here to help. Johnny said you needed help in here." Johnny, I heard, was the bar's owner. He was a Moroi, and I guess his real name wasn't Johnny at all.

Magda's scrutinizing look turned into bright surprise. "Oh, hi!" she stood up from her crouch, wiping her hands on her apron and held out her hand. "Magda Cataluna," she said and I shook her hand.

"Louise Watson," I said, using a random name.

Magda looked extremely happy to see me. "Nice to meet you, Louise. Now," she handed me an apron like hers from somewhere. "Take off your leather jacket and put this on."

I took off my leather jacket, making sure that the tool was inside my jean's pocket, and then thanked Magda. "I'll go tend the front." I told her before taking off toward the front of the bar. I could see Sam and Dean talking, heads close together, in hushed voices.

I stretched out my hearing toward the two of them—avoiding all other sounds except for the boys'. When I could hear their heartbeats now, their voices were clear.

"—unlike the other vampires we encountered. They didn't have any retractable fangs; they were just full on, Sammy." Dean was saying.

Vampires, huh? And what the heck did they mean about "unlike the other vampires we encountered?"

I heard paper rustling. "Hey, Dean, look at this," Sam said, pointing at a paper. "In Romanian mythology there is this thing called Strigoi. It is said that a Strigoi can transform into forms of animals, they can be invisible, and they live through draining vitality of victims via blood loss."

Oh, no, what were these two up to? What were these two and first of all, how did they find they court?

"You actually believe that crap, Sammy?" asked Dean. "I thought you'd have known better than to believe in that European bull."

"Dean," Sam said in an irritated tone. "We have to consider all possibilities here. It could be—"

"Hey, there, you must be new." A girl said. It took me a second or two to see that the girl was in front of me. She was a small blonde with pretty light brown eyes. "I'm Daphne, a fellah bartender." She had a slight Southern accent that made her look more fragile than she already was. I know, Southern accents don't make a person look fragile, but it does for me. I'm just a weird person.

I mentally shook my head, and smiled down at Daphne. "Hey, Daphne," I held out my hand and shook hers. "I'm Louise."

"Hey, Louise. If I didn't know any better, I think you were just checking the FBI agents out." The way she said FBI, it sounded more like _eff-bay-aye_. It reminded me of other accents.

I mustered a sheepish smile. "I was. They're really cute, you know?" You can add a mental gag there.

She nodded eagerly. "Especially the tall one." She said with a wistful sigh.

"I'd better go see what they want." I told Daphne and I left her there in her own daydream. I approached the guys and they straightened when they saw me coming. Dean gave me a flirty smile, and Sam just…well, smiled.

"What can I get for you, boys?" I asked.

"We'll have two purple nurples. Agent Douglas, you should try one." Dean smacked Sam lightly on Sam's chest. Ooh, they were using some weird code name.

"Make it one." Sam told me. "I don't drink, Agent Jenkins."

I smiled at them and looked back to make Dean his purple nurple.

"You should drink, Sammy." Dean said in a low voice, only meant for Sam's ears. "You think she'd answer our question if you don't order her a drink?"

As I poured triple sec into the shaker, I heard Sam say, "I'll just give her a tip."

"Oh, come on, stop bitching around."

"I will if you stop jerking around."

_Brothers_, I thought. _Fun but annoying._

When I was done with Dean's purple nurple, I turned to Sam. "You should get our special today."

He raised one brow like Dimitri always did. "Special?"

I nodded. "Beer," I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sam looked thoughtful for a moment and then he nodded. I took off to get Sam's beer, and when I got back, Dean's purple nurple martini glass was empty.

"Here," I handed Sam's beer, and then made myself busy wiping the counter-tops.

"Hey, can we ask you something…what's your name?" Sam asked.

I turned to look at him. "Louise is the name, and yes, you can ask me something."

"It is strictly business. We've been investigating the silent massacre of the old Wade manor."

The old Wade manor was the one I had been to yesterday—where I met the Winchester brothers, too. I felt my eyebrows knit together. "Silent massacre?"

"Yes. The corpses were not known to be from this place. We saw the corpses yesterday when my colleague and I were patrolling the area, but when we came back this morning with the report, there were no more bodies, and the place was empty of evidences."

"Oh. So what's your question?" I asked them, putting my face between my hands.

"Okay…" Sam sighed and leaned back on his chair. "We have seen this girl, all in black with a face mask, and pale grey eyes, get out of the manor. We followed her into this place."

Oh, they just confessed that they stalked me. I tapped a finger on my chin. "Then?"

"We asked the people here and they didn't seem to know the girl in black—even the murders too."

"Oh, I didn't know anything about the murders, too." I told them and noted that they weren't interrogating me. "Neither do I know the girl in black. Tell me what she looked like. Maybe I could do a little investigating today in this place."

Both Sam and Dean raised their brows. "And how'd you do that?" asked Dean, his mouth full of fries.

"There's a shindig later tonight, maybe I could find this girl in black."

They exchanged looks. "No, thanks, we'd better do this mission on own." said Dean.

"Thanks for the offer though." said Sam nicely.

"Okay, if you need my help, all you can do is say my name and I'll be there." I told them and took off to being a bartender that I was pretending. I passed by Dean for a second, and the next thing I knew, something squeaky was sounding from the inside of his tux.

Both Sam and Dean looked at it, and Dean took out a box with flashing red lights. Its antenna was, somehow, pointed at me. I shook off that thin as weird, and then I started to play waitress again.

A few minutes later, I was getting bored playing waitress and there was nothing I could hear as useful from Sam and Dean. I took off the pretty apron, grabbed my leather jacket and walked into the sunny afternoon with my tips. It was really sunny out that I needed to cover myself with the shades the buildings gave, which meant that I had to pass at the back of the Moroi guest rooms and to the workers so-called barracks.

I was just on the reception near the parking lot when I saw Mason huddled over at a bench. He was trying to look inconspicuous but when you were a carrot-top, you're famous to the world.

I stood at the back of Mason's bench when I said in a scary voice, "I know what you did last night."

Mason jerked in surprise and turned to look at me, putting down his glasses to the bridge of his nose. "Rose, you scared me."

"That was my point—scare you. And I know what you did last night." I said and pinched his shoulder. "You pervert!" I said in an accusing tone. "Moroi? Seriously? You guys couldn't do anything more fun? You just watched Moroi girls do skinny-dipping back at the spa?"

Mason blushed. "It was a dare."

"Dare my ass, Mase, I know why you did it." Just when I said that, I heard the squeaky thing again. I looked back at me and saw that Sam and Dean are on their merry way to the parking lot. They stopped and looked around the place, and then looked like they couldn't care less, took off toward their car.

"Were those the Men in Black?" Mason asked, standing up from the chair he was sitting at.

"Really, Mase, you watch TV too much." I noted.

"I haven't seen those two guardians before. Maybe they were new, or maybe they were Royal Moroi Guards, but they're too tan to be one."

Royal Moroi Guards were Moroi who made an oath of fealty to fight for the Moroi and dhampir race with their elements—they were only constituted as legal about five years ago when I started slaying.

"Maybe there's a tan Moroi." I told Mason.

"Maybe." He sighed and looked around. "I gotta go; the guardians are going to send me back to the cell when they catch me here. Bye!" Mason took off running like a stark-raving mad carrot on loose.

I started walking to the back of the guest rooms again in a slower pace. I greeted every human I passed by, but when I stepped into the slightly dark alley of buildings, I was left alone. I could hear my footsteps echo and water drips. Every step I took was measured with my heartbeat, and my heartbeat was measured by the water drips. I was halfway across the back of the guest rooms, when I was blocked. Literally blocked. Nothing was in front of me, but I couldn't take a step further.

I kept my calm and touched the space in front of me. It felt like glass, and I punched it but nothing happened. I dropped my hands to my sides and looked around me. Sure enough, I was standing on a huge circle with weird symbols. The hell with vandalisms.

Just before I started to pound on the invisible glass that locked me in my place, two men appeared out of nowhere. The space before me was empty before, but two very familiar men practically stepped out with a silver bottle in hand.

"Agent Douglas, Jenkins…what are you guys doing here?" I asked skeptically.

"Oh," Dean said with feigned sheepish smile. "Us? What we're doing here?" His smile disappeared and then he turned serious all of a sudden. He looked at me like I was a child of Satan or something. "We should ask you the same question, _Louise_. Or should I call you _Alastair_? In a girl's body now?"

I felt my face scrunch up. "What are you talking about?"

Sam was quiet, but the way it looked at me, I could feel that he was seeing through my soul.

"Guys, what's wrong? Who's Alastair?"

"Oh, just a demon who tortures souls!" Dean practically yelled and splashed the liquid from the silver bottle to me. I yelped and stepped back from him, unnerved that he has wet my leather jacket.

I looked at Dean angrily, and he looked back at me in a way that I found surprising. He looked surprised too.

"Water?" I asked him and then turned to Sam. "Who are you really?"

Sam looked at me. "You tell us—who are you?"

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "I'm Louise, the bartender."

"No, that's not the question." Said Dean. "The _real_ question is, _what_ are you?"

I stared at Dean. "I told you—I'm a bartender."

"Oh, can a bartender hypnotize people?" asked Dean sarcastically. He walked slowly around the circle of symbols. "And can a _normal_ bartender be trapped in a devil's trap?"

I looked down at me. The symbols—they didn't look familiar to me, but I should have felt its power to entrap everything dark. I crouched down, took a small whiff on the drawings, and looked up at Sam. "Devil's trap," I said in disbelief. "_What_ are you guys?"

"Same thing we'd like to ask you." said Sam calmly.

I stood up from my crouch and gave him my full glare, but not shifting my eyes. "I don't know what I am, but I know this—I am no demon that you are accusing me of being." I turned to Dean. "And let me ask you, _Dean_." I have felt something different from Dean. Something…_dark_. "How was it in the dark side?"

He sneered at me. "Better than yours, I think. I thought you'd know earlier. You got the eyes of a high-positioned demon in hell."

I glowered at him, my face turning into stone. "Let me go, Dean." I compelled. I didn't have any other choice; I was trapped here forever if they're all going to leave me in this symbolized hell hole. Dean's eyes glazed for a moment, but then he shook his head and smiled at me in a way that most mortals would find scary.

"You are not going to order me around that easily." Said Dean and splashed me the water from the silver bottle again. I had just noticed that it was holy water.

I glared at Dean. "You mother-fu—" I stopped myself before I could speak the words.

Dean smiled again. "Yeah, go ahead, call me whatever you like to call me. I'm sending you back to hell. Immune to holy water or not, you're going back down there."

I listened to Dean speak Latin words that I understood as a chant for exorcising demons out of humans. I just put my hands on my hips and glared at Dean. He looked back at me, and then he stopped chanting and looked at Sam. The exchanged looks and turned away from me. They conversed in hushed tones.

"Why isn't it working?" asked Dean.

"Maybe she's telling the truth. It's obvious she's not a demon. Maybe she's something else."

"I can hear you." I told them and yawned. They looked back at me. "If I'm not a demon, why won't you let me go?"

Sam stepped toward me with his hands raised. "Louise, we're just going to ask you a question." I nodded for him to continue. "Do you use dark magic?"

"What kind of question is that?"

He sighed and dropped his hands. "Do you have something that involves Wicca in you?"

"Wicca, let me think…" I tapped a finger on my chin. "I'll answer that one for two conditions."

The brothers exchanged looks and nodded—not looking too happy making a bargain with me.

"Name them,"

"First, you'll let me out."

"After you answer us." said Dean.

"Of course. And second, you'll tell me what you two are. Right _now_."

The brothers exchanged glances again and they nodded. "You'll just think we're crazy." said Sam Winchester.

"Oh, believe me. I being trapped in a circle with symbols is just beyond me. I can handle anything crazy at this moment."

"In the Supernatural world, we are called _hunters_." said Dean in a low voice.

"Supernatural?" I asked, disbelief leaking out of my voice.

"Yes, Supernatural." Dean told me and I could see him softening on me. "With the demons, ghosts, vampires, fairies, werewolves, shifters, dragons…even fairy tales are true."

"So, you two are like an advanced version of Ghostbusters?" I asked, letting out my TV-junky personality.

"No," said Dean quickly. "We don't use vacuum to destroy ghosts, but in general …yeah."

I looked at the brothers. "I think you guys are insane for thinking such creatures as dragons are true." I said in a blank voice.

"So, we answered your question—answer ours. What do you have inside your leather jacket?"

"A tool," I said and got the pouch out of my pocket and dangled it in front of them. The same squeaky sound sounded again. Sam took out the square box with flashing red lights again. "And what's that?"

"It's called an EMF meter. It measures the electro-magnetic field and it screeches when there's something strange about one thing or place." Sam said and looked back and forth from my pouch and the EMF meter.

"And you say this crappy piece of metal slab is something strange?" I took out the tool from the pouch and showed it to them.

The EMF meter screeched more. The brothers looked at the metal slab I held in apprehension. It was at least an hour later when they managed to find their vocals. "Where'd you get that?" asked Sam.

"Oh, this? I got this from my trinket box."

Their faces darkened. "What kind of trinket box? Was it silver or platinum or something?" asked Dean in an all-serious voice.

I stared at them for a minute. "Yeah, it was platinum. It wasn't really a box but it was an oval trinket box…if you know what I mean."

The brothers (again) exchanged looks. Sam rifled through a brown leather notebook and started scanning while Dean erased one symbol from the devil's trap and gestured me out. I sighed when I stepped away from the trap, giving Dean one last glare and wiped off the holy water away from my jacket.

"Louise, do you know what that tool is?" asked Sam, his face frozen on the page where he was scanning on.

I shook my head. "My sensei didn't tell me anything about it."

"You have a sensei? You don't look Asian." said Dean.

"Dean, stop it." Sam warned in a chastising tone.

"Bitch," Dean mumbled.

"Jerk," Sam replied in a similar tone.

"Okay, you guys, stop that!" I yelled and they stopped bickering. "Sam, tell me what this tool is."

"Alright. It's called The Tool of Baal." Sam said in a grave tone. "It is said that the Tool was created the same time Lucifer fell. The Tool was last seen during the late 1700s when Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Austrians." He looked up at me and I could see that his eyes were bright with excitement.

"Um, I think you mean Australia, not Austria." I told Sam.

He shook his head. "Austria was the other name for Czech Republic."

"Czech Republic," I repeated. "What the hell's wrong with Czech Republic?"

Sam gave me a weird look and then he continued lecturing me. "There is a myth that said Satan—Hell personified—had locked the Tool with something that was bound with silver or platinum."

I couldn't stop my jaw from dropping. "The myth was true." I told them and paced around, thinking about what the hell was wrong with my life. Could things get even more complicated?

"So we have assumed." Sam said, his expression sympathetic. "How did you open the box where the Tool was locked in?"

"I broke the damn trinket box." I said and continued to pace. I heard their heartbeat run faster.

"I remembered something I read that if the person could break open the box, they were—"

"Proscribed," I said.

"How did you know that?"

"That was the only useful thing my sensei told me."

"This sensei of yours," Dean started. "What's his job?"

"Mythologist, if there's such a job." I laughed bitterly. "No, my sensei works with me."

"You? Why?" asked Sam.

I looked at them and mentally damned myself for trusting such dicks. "As hunters, I think you should know something about me." I said in a quiet tone.

They looked like they were trustworthy enough to keep my secret. I needed some answers too, and they probably have them. And then a thought hit me. I was about to confide my secrets to Sam and Dean. Maybe they were my…_confidants_.

"Being a know-it-all in the supernatural world, have you heard about the Slayer?" I asked them.

"We've heard hunter whispers about the Slayer. Why?" asked Dean.

"Tell me what you know about the Slayer." I told them and wrung my hands together. I've been doing that an awful lot lately.

"He is the great hunter of vampires." said Sam in a sure voice. "Do you know anything about the Slayer?"

Even hunters—they didn't know whether the Slayer was a girl or not.

"The Slayer is not a _he_. The Slayer is a _she_."

"So, you really are Marie back at the Wade manor?" They didn't sound too surprised.

"Yeah," I said and sighed, putting my head between my hands.

"And let me guess, you're name is not really Marie _or_ Louise." said Dean perceptively.

"You can say it like that." I told them and gave them a rueful smile. "My name's Rose."

"It's very nice to meet you Rose, the Slayer." said Dean in a voice that was trying to cheer me up.

I didn't know what Sam was up to, but he was taking down notes. "Rose, can I ask you something…um, personal?" Sam asked tentatively.

"That depends on the degree of the question." I told him and inclined my head for him to ask me.

"What's your surname?"

"That's not even close to personal, Sam." I said. "It's Hathaway."

"How old are you?"

"I just turned eighteen about a month ago. Why?" I asked, walking up to where Sam stood scribbling. "You're not going to turn me in, are you?" I stepped away from Sam, wary.

He stopped scribbling and looked at me. "Of course not. Rose, I'm taking down these notes because I think I just remembered something that involves something about the Slayer and proscription."

I stepped toward him. "What about it?" I asked, eager to hear what he had to say.

"I still don't know everything about it, but I'm sure Bobby got the books we need."

"Who's Bobby?"

"Another hunter," Dean answered me.

"Listen, Rose, we gotta take your number and we'll stay in touch." said Sam as if he was hurrying.

"Yeah, sure," I said and gave them my number.

"Rose, something tells me that this proscription of yours is huge business. We'll find some information about it, and I'll just contact you. Last question: what did your sensei tell you about Czech Republic?"

"He first said that I will travel through water, across the Goddess's womb, and then I will cross paths with the one who has my answers. What the heck does that mean?"

"Simple. Your sensei wants you to go to Czech by boat or in any thing that goes through water." answered Sam in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Oh, well then. I'm going to Czech…Republic." I said with a loony laugh. "Oh, wow, going abroad—_again_."

Before I could say anything else that would embarrass me, Sam spoke. "Rose, you have to move quickly. The proscription only lasts for a month, and the symptoms of it usually show up late. Proscriptions usually end on full moons."

"What happens when I don't get a cure or something?" I asked Sam when he and Dean hurried to the back of the barracks. Maybe they had climbed back inside here.

"You get permanently damned. A proscription is just a sign." Dean surprised me by answering. "And if you don't want to be damned forever, I suggest you move now!" Dean growled and I could see that the brothers were scared. Scared _for_ me.

"Yes, Rose, move now. Going to Czech by boat will take a while. The next full moon is in ten days." said Sam.

I took a deep breath and escorted them out of the wards.

"I'll call you if I get anything, okay?" Sam said before he and Dean sped off.

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**So…got some answers in this chapter?**

**Leave a REVIEW!**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**

**xx**


	29. In Denial

**Sorry, guys, I was just losing my touch on some things. Here ya go, the next chapter.**

**ENJOY:D**

**DISCLAIMER to all of the characters!**

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**Chapter Twenty-seven**

**In Denial**

Like Sam and Dean had said, I hurried. I wasted no precious time at all. After they had left, I sprinted to Lissa and Mia's room. I took a deep breath and knocked loudly on their door—practically banging.

When the only thing I could hear inside the room was the rustling of their blankets, I used my powers to unlock the door. The power was telekinesis. If you have that kind of power, you can make everything do things by your mind—bend them or whatnot.

When I heard the door click open, I strode inside and saw that Lissa was on the foot of her bed, rubbing her eyes awake. She looked up when I entered.

"Good morning, Rose" she greeted, a little confused.

"Morning, Princess." I greeted back and sighed.

"What time is it?" she asked me and shook Mia awake. Mia's laying body shot up sitting, and her closed eyes opened.

"Did I miss anything?" she looked back and forth from me and Lissa. We shook our heads.

"Guys, I need to tell you something," I told them.

"We're not guys," Lissa said, still a little confused.

"Okay…Girls, I need to tell you something."

"Please continue," Lissa gestured in an absurdly polite way.

"What's wrong with the politeness, Liss?" Mia asked my silent question, combing her hair.

Lissa looked from me to Mia, and then her cheeks pinked up. "I was just practicing for tonight. You know, for the formal party the Queen is hosting." Lissa answered and combed her own platinum blond hair. "So, Rose, what were you going to tell us?"

And so I told them—all of them. Starting from my mission last night, my encounter with the evil hag Kathy, to my proscription and the Winchester brothers. After I had told them, they were quiet, probably taking it all in. When it finally sunk in to their systems, they started milling around the room like crazy cheetahs.

Lissa tried to call the cruise trips to no avail. The shortest trip to Czech Republic was to six or five days, and they were all booked. Mia scrambled around the room, tossing her clothes and Lissa's into bags.

"Ugh!" Lissa exclaimed in irritation. "The only cruise left for Czech is in ten to fifteen days, and we can't afford to lose that much time. You said that the proscription will end in ten days, right, Rose?"

"When's the next full moon?" I asked her instead of answering.

"Dunno. At least ten days or so." Lissa replied and started stripping, changing into new clothes.

"Where are you two going?" I asked them when they practically hauled me out of their room.

"We're going to Adrian. Maybe he can help us." Mia said as Lissa banged on Christian's door.

Christian opened the door with a huge scowl on his pale face. "What?" he asked, his eyes still half-closed.

"I want you to pack up your stuff if you wanna go with me to Czech Republic." That was all Lissa told him before we went running toward Adrian's loft. We passed by many drunk humans, and Moroi. The sun had just set so Lissa and Mia were safe from the sun. The moon was starting to rise and I could faintly see that it was half. Sam and Dean were right; the full moon was probably at least ten days from now.

We climbed up on Adrian's porch steps, and when Mia got to the door, she started banging like a girl drunk or on drugs. I don't know why I was so low now, but I just thought maybe it was nothing.

"Adrian! Get your lazy butt out of bed and in here!" Mia shouted, her voice pitched high.

Just a second after Mia shouted, Adrian was out of the door, shirtless and disheveled. He wasn't like Christian who had a big scowl on his face, but his expression showed that he probably knew we were coming.

"Girls? Couldn't resist my charms?" he asked with a small flirty smile for me. _Douche bag_, I thought silently. From the short time I have known Adrian, all I could describe him in one word was conceit. Yeah, conceit, but self-assured wasn't too far off the list of his one-worded traits.

"Like you got half the charms Rose has." Mia grumbled and pushed Adrian aside from his place on the door.

"Of course, I don't have those charms the Slayer has." Again, I say, Adrian already knew what I was from the moment he saw my aura. Or rather, lack of aura, thereof. "What can I do for you?"

"A cruise trip. Er, a cruise only. We need to go to Czech Republic." I told him, in all seriousness.

His eyes widened slightly and I could smell that he wasn't drunk at all. "A cruise? Czech Republic? Why do you want to go there?" asked Adrian curiously.

I gave Adrian a brief recap of what I had said to Lissa and Mia.

He didn't look too surprised, but he looked a little worried. "Proscribed, eh?" Adrian attempted to joke. "Could you get any more charming than you already are, Rose?"

I gave Adrian a sarcastic smile and looked away, saying, "I wish we never needed your help, Ivashkov."

Adrian looked at me and waggled his eyebrows. "Oh, but Rose, you do need my help. Desperately so."

I just stared at his windows, not able to deny it.

"Well, let's see…" Adrian said, rubbing his chin with a weird look on his face. "Let me call my aunt first, and I shall see when our cruise is shipping back to Czech for the Faire." Adrian excused and stood up, talking on his phone.

I didn't know whose Adrian's aunt was, but I think it was the Queen. Lissa, Mia and I exchanged glances. We were all really expecting for Adrian to help us, and it was unlikely for Adrian to grant our wishes without consequences. Our curiosity was sated a minute later when Adrian went back to sitting on the chair he had occupied a while ago.

"This is such a coincidence," said Adrian. "Some of the guardians are going to the country too, be that as it may."

"Be that as it may?" Lissa asked curiously.

Adrian nodded. "I'm practicing using old words and idioms, have you all noticed?"

"Uh-huh," I mumbled and looked back at Adrian's dark green eyes. "Why're you practicing it anyway?" I asked.

"The Queen, my great-aunt, has adamantly ordered that I shall learn these primitively crappy vocabularies. If I would not oblige to her orders, she shall smite me in no words can express." Adrian said with a smug look on his face. "Was that good?" he asked to no one in particular.

I should say; I was a bit impressed at how Adrian formed those old-school sentences quickly. Well, except for the _crappy_ part, that is. "Okay, Mr. Darcy, can we go back to our subject now?" I asked him, and he dramatically turned to me with a rueful look on his face.

"Oh, how rude of me." Adrian said in and patted my hand. "Forgive me for being so. Of course, let us go back to the matter we have discussed a while ago. What was it? Oh, yes, the cruise."

"Okay, that's enough, Adrian!" I exploded, suddenly irritated at his—as he'd like to put it—primitively crappy vocabulary. "Please, can you speak normally?" it wasn't meant to be a request, but it was a straight-on order.

Adrian shrugged at me. "Since you asked so politely, I shall not speak rubbish language anymore."

"Thank you," the three of us breathed.

"Of course, I'll help you with the cruise." Adrian started and then all of a sudden, there was a very mischievous glint on his eyes when he looked at me. "I'll _only_ help you if Rose would accept being my more or less girlfriend during the trip. That'll be a secret only the four of us will keep."

I almost took back his offer to help earlier at his consequence, but I held my ground. "Can another consequence be applicable?" I asked Adrian, my face hard as stone.

He looked at me and smiled a smile that would have sent girls careening back swooning. "There's the matter of matrimo—" Before he could finish the last word on his sentence, I cut him off by my loud "No, the former was just great!" If you haven't noticed, there was a lot of sarcasm there.

"Oh, Rose, low down the dig there!" Adrian said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Your sarcasm hurts my feelings, Rose." Behind the outlaid mockery on those emerald green eyes, I could see and feel some sincerity there. That little hint of sincerity shut up the inner Rose who wanted to gouge Adrian's eyes out of their sockets.

Adrian gave me a little smile. "Rose, I was just simply daring you—the consequence isn't to be forced on you." He went back to being the old-school guy again. "If you will date me against your will, it would be unacceptable. Even for me." He told me as he held the two of my clenched hands. He shook it a little and I loosened them. He smiled again. "If you didn't understand what I said, it meant that you were being a sucker."

With that, I socked his arm pretty hard.

***Hours later***

It was two hours later when Adrian announced when the cruise was leaving. It was like a blessing in disguise when I met Adrian. For the first time we had met, all I thought about him was that he was just a stuck-up drunk royal Moroi, but now, he wasn't only a stuck-up drunk royal Moroi—he was a helpful stuck-up overly rich drunk royal Moroi. From time to time, I had always hoped to avoid him, but now, I was the one seeking him—for _help_! I couldn't believe that I, the Slayer, needed help from a stuck-up probably perpetually drunk royal Moroi. For short, I sucked. Adrian was right, I _am_ being a sucker.

Adrian had called, announcing that the _Ivashkov Cruise_ would be off to sail to Czech within five hours. I was absolutely relieved to hear that it wasn't going to be too long a trip, too. It was only five to six days at most.

Now, I was in my cottage, packing up all my stuff. I had taped back the platinum trinket box together because I felt guilty for breaking such a pretty thing. I was bringing it too. I packed what sensei had given me and summer clothes because we were going to be cruising on the ship under the summer sun. That would be sucky for me, but I had to do it—for the sake of my friggin' salvation and almost everything in my life. I still didn't know what the proscription was about, but Sam and Dean had assured me that they would be researching something about my proscription and—to an extent—about me, too.

Talking about the Winchesters, my phone rang. I picked it up and looked at the caller. A number only appeared, but I had a hunch at who it was.

"Hathaway," I said to the phone.

"Hey, Rose, it's Sam." The caller said. I could hear lots of cicadas sounding on his line. He was probably in some place secluded.

"Oh, hey, Sam, did you get something?"

"Yes. More than something, though. We got lots about the proscription, but it's going to take a while to tell you through the phone." Sam told me.

I scrunched up my face involuntarily. "You want to meet up?" I asked.

"Yes. Have you booked something to go to Czech yet?" he asked, worry lacing his tone.

"Oh, yeah, my friend has his own cruise and we're taking off about five hours from now. That's the closest thing to good news I have heard in ages."

"That's good. Can we meet up at the bar again, or is it too public?" Sam asked me.

"Yup, too public." I told him as I tossed a brown tunic to my bag. "I'll just meet you two outside the wards."

"No problem. Meet you in half an hour." He said and hung up.

I sighed and tossed my phone inside my bag and zipped my black bag closed. I was bringing my "ninja stuffs" too in case of emergencies. I had planned to take a long hot shower, but the firm knock on my door stopped me from planning more self-sating treatments. Again, I sighed, and stood up, opening the door just an inch to see who it was. When I saw who the person on my door was, I had an impulse to close the door and lock myself in the cottage and never go out again.

The last time I had met Dimitri, I was practically flirting at him. And now—with some of my guts gone—I was a bit vulnerable to emotional "traumas" again.

The images of avoiding Dimitri only played inside my mind, but in reality, I was opening the door wider and smiling at him like nothing had happened before. Like he hadn't seen me half-naked before. Like we were just student and teacher, period.

"Guardian Belikov," I said and motioned him inside my room. I had a brief debate with myself as to whether it was bad to let him in my room, or good—as in being a polite hostess.

"Miss Hathaway, I'll just make this brief—" he stopped talking all of a sudden. I could see clearly that his eyes had landed on my packed bag. "You're leaving?" he asked me, raising one brow up. That motion always made me feel either irritated or delighted—I didn't know why I felt those emotions, but my answer was just probably as uncanny as the former.

I nodded. "Yup. What were you going to make brief of?"

His eyes tightened for half a second, and then all expressions on his faces disappeared. "Where are you going?" he asked like he hadn't heard my question.

"To Czech Republic. What were you going to make brief of?" I asked, more than a little unsettled.

He didn't answer for a second, just stared at me with dark, unreadable eyes, and then he shook his head slightly. "Never mind." He said more to himself than to me. "I was just going to tell you that I won't be able to send you back and forth to the beach, but—as I could see—that would be unnecessary."

I nodded again. "And why won't you be _able to send me back and forth to the beach_?" I asked, copying his words.

A small, kind of fond smile flitted across his lips. "I am going to Czech Republic, too. I assume the princess has invited you with her?" he asked me in a less formal way now. I was glad that he sometimes let his guard down around me.

Instead of telling him that Adrian did all the going to Czech Republic work, I confirmed his assumption.

He smiled again and that smile almost melted my knees. "Ah," was all he said. "You're going to have fun in the Faire, that I assure you. I have been to the Faire before and it was very entertaining."

"Since when have you, a guardian, been entertained?" I asked, a little bold now. I leaned against me door sill.

"You think differently of us guardians. We are just like other people, Rose." He told me and I could see that his guard was lower than it already was. I should admit to myself that I really _love_ it when his guard was completely down—even just partially. "You all assume that we are unlike other people, like we are robots, but we are not. We are all the same."

I swear, I was embarrassed of myself for asking such a stupid question. And I double swear that I felt my face heat up. With my now-pale complexion, he could clearly see my face reddening.

He put a lock of my hair behind my ear. When his skin touched mine, I felt—and heard—a pleasant buzzing sound and feeling. _Very _pleasant. _Too_ pleasant. In exact unison, we parted ourselves away from each other. I saw him put up his walls back up again to no avail—I could visibly see him struggling to get back his stoic self, but, somehow, he couldn't.

My heart was pounding hard against my chest, and I managed to summon up my voice. "Stop denying it if you can't, Dimitri." I was only half-aware of me calling him by name.

He looked at me in a way that spoke so _much_ volume that it sent me almost breathless. The indecision on his eyes was very brief there, almost uncatchable. "_Roza_," he said in a deeper voice, his accent deepening with him. He lifted his hand and cupped my face.

I almost gasped when something zapped inside me when he touched me. I looked at him, waiting for him to make a move as his palm heated against my face. Again, he said, "_Roza_," That word never failed to make my knees go weak.

He leaned closer, his breath feathering on my face. I could hear his heartbeat, so strong and firm, go unsteady. His eyes that was on mine looked at my lips for a second and then just went back to looking at my eyes. Finally, he leaned in so close—I couldn't breathe.

Just barely, his lips brushed against mine like a butterfly's wing. My heart almost stopped.

And then it changed so drastically—the hand that was on my face disappeared and the lips that had me cursing myself for left.

I couldn't deny the hurt and rejection I felt when he pulled away and exhaled loudly. Evidently, his guard was back up and strong.

I felt my eyes prickle with self-pity, but I told myself to buck up and be aggressive like I normally was, but that aggression and dignity that I had summoned up disappeared completely at his words.

"I'm sorry, Miss Hathaway. That will never happen again."

With that, he walked off into the young night.

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**Oh, poor Rose… Help her by leaving a REVIEW!**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**

**xx**


	30. Information Overload

**Hiya, guys! Thanks for the reviews! I love reading them, although I don't have time for responding to them! Here's the next chapter! ENJOY!**

**DISCLAIMER TO ALL THE CHARACTERS EXCEPT FOR THE ONES THAT ARE NOT FROM EITHER SUPERNATURAL OR VA.**

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**Chapter Twenty-eight**

**Information Overload**

After my more or less heartbreaking encounter with my mentor, Dimitri Belikov, I bolted right out of the wards using my speed. Nobody actually saw me when I got out of the court's gate and into the night where Sam was fiddling on something on the hood of their very black and very shiny Impala, and Dean was lounging on the back seat with one foot dangling out of the window. Those were what "typical" people do. But then, Sam and Dean weren't typical at all.

When Dean saw me emerge from the shadows in a slow pace, he honked the Impala's horn. Sam automatically closed the hood of the car, carrying three leather bounds with him. He nodded at me while Dean made his way out of the Impala. It didn't take me time to notice the slightly grim expressions on their faces—it was probably permanent on their faces.

"I guess you found lots of things about my proscription?" I asked them when I propped myself on the front hood of their Impala.

Dean answered for me. "Oh, yes, we found _lots_ of them, but they were _really_ hard to find."

Sam shook his head at his brother with a small—but still grim—smile on his face, and then turned to look at me. "Have you, by any chance, had any supernatural powers?" he asked me with a curiosity that was necessary.

I pursed my lips, hesitating for a second. "Well, I guess I _have_…" I trailed off, biting my lower lip.

Sam scanned on the leather bound he was holding. It looked old and dusty—the kind of books only found at the back and recluse section on the libraries. "How many are there?"

"Um, I lost count?" it sounded more like a question than a statement of fact, but I didn't care—I still don't know how may my powers were.

Dean looked at me in a weird way. "Do you, by any chance, drink demon blood?" he asked me.

Sam snapped the book shut, and it sent dust flying to his face. "Dean," Sam chastised. "She does not need to drink demon blood! How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Dean grinned at his brother and smacked his back. Sam closed his eyes, holding his temper, but I could see that there was a small smile on his lips. But all in all, they were still a bit grim.

"Even if you tell me that Rose doesn't drink demon blood a hundred times, I still won't believe you, Sammy." said Dean. "It's better to get the answer from the person in pursuit." I saw Sam roll his eyes at his brother. Dean gave me a firm, skeptic look. "So… Do you drink demon blood?"

My brows knitted together. "No. If it makes anything better, I'd say I didn't even see these so-called demons before." I told them.

Sam gave Dean an "I told you so" look. Dean just messed with Sam's hair. I was really glad I met these two insane guys.

"When they don't possess any human vessel, they look like black smoke with purple or blue lights. And they smell like sulfur, too." Dean told me, and handed me one leather bound. I cautiously took it, afraid that maybe there was some kind of power in that book, but my anxiety ended up at the back of my head when nothing happened to me. I've been a tad bit neurotic lately, and it was getting annoying.

The language on the book was not in English, was my first thought when I opened the leather bound.

"You said you spoke Latin?" Sam asked me. "I do, but it is better that you know the rules to the proscription."

I nodded, my mind filling with slight confusion and comprehension. "Why am I not allowed near onions?" I asked Sam, reading the question from the dusty old book.

"Onions can make you teary. You can't let anyone see your tears—they're going to be…uh…not good." Sam replied, the grim expression on his face darkening.

"What do you mean by not good?" I asked him.

"He meant that your tears aren't going to be the usual crystal clear color." Dean answered for me when Sam didn't. Dean fixed me a look. "Your tears are going to be blood."

My heart stopped. "Oh, crap." was all I could say.

Dean nodded. "Tears of blood are crappy, I know, and Sammy and I are sorry about them. Your life could just get worse than that. Read rule number eight."

"Be good to everyone around you?" I translated in English as a question. "Or you shall be shunned from the…_theurgy_? What's that?"

"_Theurgy_ means white magic—it generally means the greater good, Heaven."

"Oh, that's why number one rule is 'don't die.'" I realized. "Why do I need to be good to anyone?" The mention of being "good" to everyone and anyone around me would be the last thing I'd put in my book of obligations, but I don't have any choice.

"It's only speaking in general. It actually means you have to stay away from fights or whatnot because there's going to be a villain in your life." Dean answered me with a "duh" look on his face.

My brows rose. "Well, that's a first. I never get enemies in my life aside from those evil vampires. If you're implying that I need to be good to those sons of bitches, I'm sorry, I just _can't_."

Sam shook his head suddenly. "In your case—the Slayer case—they're not the 'evil vampires.'" I could hear the air-quotes there.

I looked at Sam questioningly. "Then what is?"

"Your villain would be a mage." said Sam.

"What's a mage?" I asked, totally clueless.

"Picture a witch, only ten times more powerful."

"Oh," I said, suddenly low of life. "Does it suck to have a mage for a foe?"

The brothers both shrugged. "That depends."

I scowled down at the book with consternation. "Any more bad news, guys?" I asked in a surprisingly unaffected tone.

"Uh, yeah," I heard paper rustling. "How many did you say your powers were?" Sam asked me.

I looked up at him and cocked my head, doing the mental math. "Uh…I lost count."

He nodded. "Okay, let's take that as a good sign."

"Mind if we take it as a bad one?"

"Why?"

"Because I don't count them…at all." My anxiety was back now. But in this case, it was mixed with pessimism. "So, why do you ask?"

"Well, a myth states whenever a person is proscribed, 'thee touched necromancy' would go AWOL at any time."

"That means…" Realization hit me so hard, I almost staggered back. "That means my powers would be stripped away from me." The worst thing I could think of was having my powers stripped away from me—painfully and slowly—any time soon. Just a while ago, I thought that the only bad thing happening to me was Dimitri's rejection, but now, that seemed to be too small a bad thing compared to my powers being stripped away.

Sam and Dean gave me sympathetic looks, but that only made me mad at myself. I told myself to buck up for the second time of the day. "It is not said how your powers will be stripped, but I assume it would be in the hands of your foe, the mage." Sam told me. He sighed and got another leather bound. This time, it wasn't big and dusty like the other two, but it was small and copiously thick. "And here, we have found something about _you_. Well, a prophecy about the Night Watchers. Some tribes also call them the Peacekeepers, and its human term is Bounty Hunters."

"Is it really plural?" I asked Sam.

"Yes. There are three members of the Night Watchers. The Slayer, the Tracker, and the Reaper. It is said that these three beings are all rare and cursed since their births."

"What do you mean _cursed_? Is it a curse like webbed feet or something? An extra finger?"

Sam shook his head. "Cursed with powers."

"What's the bad in that?"

"It's like the rabbit's foot." Dean said all of a sudden, his lips hiding a small smile. "Whenever you have it, you get all the luck in the world, but if you lose it, then bad luck will be breathing on your neck, leading you to your death."

"Dean, that's different. These curses the Bounty Hunters have are due to their genetic fixes. Their parents should all be already cursed by something to conceive them—that makes them rare. Curses are very scarce nowadays. _But_ these Bounty Hunters' genetic combinations are one of a kind, only three are known in some myths."

I was as confused as a dog. "If they are so rare, why do you guys know them?"

"We have our resources, Rose." Dean told me, a smug—but still grim—look in his face. "Our friend Bobby has about all the things we need."

I waved some questions off of my mind and asked the one that gave me the most curiosity. "So, can we get some leads to these two other Night Watchers?"

"No, I don't really know about them. The myth was pointing out about genetic combinations, so our probable first lead is your parents." Sam said, closing the book. The brothers looked at me expectantly.

"Oh, my parents…"—I licked my lips when they felt suddenly dry—"They're flying like angels now." I was lying. I didn't know where my father was, and sensei had told me that my mother was dead, but now I couldn't believe what all sensei tells me.

"Oh, we're sorry," Sam said and Dean gave me a rueful smile.

"It's okay," I assured them, waving their apologies off. "So are you guys going to tell me about the Tracker and the Reaper?"

"Right," Sam opened the leather bound again.

"You said you were the Slayer, right?" Dean asked, surprising me again. He was always so quiet whenever Sam is on his lectures. I nodded. "The Slayer, the Tracker and the Reaper were a team, so they might be close to you." Oh, gee, thanks for the help.

I almost scratched my head. "Nope, the only person close to me except for my Moroi friends and dhampirs, is my sensei, and he's just a normal dhampir." I told them and then bit my tongue.

"Moroi?" Dean asked, sitting up from his position with an alarmed look on his face.

"Dhampir?" Sam asked, his queue to copy Dean's reaction.

"Moroi are good vampires, they're not undead or anything, but they just drink blood if they need to. They don't kill people too, we got them in order. Dhampirs are half-human and Moroi, so… they're no problem at all." Despite what I had said, I was having my doubts about sensei's identity. I never saw him go out of the sun directly, that was for sure. When I jogged at mornings, he just stayed at out training room, meditating.

The brothers relaxed a little."So, they _are_ true." Sam said, his eyes looking a little dazed-up.

I nodded. "I heard you back at the bar talking about Strigoi—yeah, they're real too. They were what I killed the other day, the undead and the evil ones."

"That doesn't explain why they disappeared yesterday." said Dean and then he looked at me. "Those people—those people you pointed out back there at the Wade manor, what were they?"

"Dhampirs, and Alchemists."

At my mention of Alchemists, Sam and Dean looked at each other. "Lemme guess," said Dean. "They have some kind of weird golden tattoo on their lower left cheeks, am I right?"

"Yup, and they're overly religious too." The same time I said "too," Dean exploded, half-exclaiming an "I knew it!" speech. It wasn't my fault that I turned skeptical all of a sudden. "What did you know?"

I swear, Dean's cheeks were darkening when he looked at me. "Nothing,"

"Whatever," I grumbled and turned back to Sam. "So, do you have my answers now?"

"I think so." Sam replied.

"You think so? C'mon Sammy! You could say better than 'I think so.' You can always—"

I shut Dean's mouth up by one flick of my wrist. It was the same trick I used with Kathy the other night. Dean continued talking, unaware that I had silenced him. Sam just gave me an approving look, and then lectured me. "Dean was right about the Night Watchers being a team. With one of them missing, they can't perform their Samhain ritual and put the dead back to permanent rest. The Tracker is the one who knows where the evils are because of some sort of curse he was bound to. The Slayer, that's you, is cursed with numerous abilities for both offense and defense. And then the last, the Reaper is the one who's supposed to put the angst souls to rest so there shall be no evil left in the atmosphere to where it had gone."

All I could say was, "That's weird, and believe me, I have heard much weirder things before."

"Count me in on that," said Sam, ignoring Dean's nudging hand. "So, that was all we had gathered. Any questions before you go out of the country, Rose."

"Oh, yeah, I've been wondering what my sensei was talking about yesterday. He said I'd find the person with my answers in Czech, but the person wasn't really a person. He said it was a neuter, no gender. _It_."

Sam pondered at that. "The only neutered creature I can think of is a demon. Maybe your sensei is pointing out on a demon, but I don't know why he wants you to meet up with one."

"Huh. Maybe it's because of his age—he's probably having that sickness that makes them delusional."

"Probably." was all Sam said before he dragged Dean inside the Impala. Dean silently shouted to me what looked like a good-bye. I waved at him, and watched them drive off into the night.

It was two seconds later when I started to hear a heartbeat and smelled the most disgusting thing in the world. The scent was literally reeking with havoc and a purpose so hell-bent to be done. Half a second later, somebody greeted me. "Hello, Rose," The voice was unmistakably female. Again, I cursed myself for being so reckless.

I turned to her, feigning a surprised expression. "Oh, look what the cat dragged in." I _know_ what Sam had said earlier to be nice to everyone around me, but why I should be nice to Kathy Lesdaux was just beyond me.

Kathy smiled, her fangs showing. "You better watch your words around me, Hathaway. Maybe you could never open your lips again."

I just stared at her stonily. "Well, let's just see…" I said and I gave her no time to response. I ran with my speed to my room, leaving her standing in the night.

***In the cruise***

I should have known that the Queen was coming. In fact, the after party of their pre-summer celebration was held in the _Ivashkov Cruise_. Almost all of the people were there because I could only see a few people outside. Lissa, Mia and Adrian had threatened to get my stuff if I didn't go with them to the after party since all the people were invited for them, but they stopped when my eyes shifted their color. I didn't what color it was, but it was probably scary.

My dhampir friends have been able to squeeze themselves in the cruise trip, and they were partying too. Actually, I was the only one who was not attending the after party.

Eventually, I got tired of searching the net (a cruise is never complete without WiFi), so I grabbed my jacket and went out into the glorious night. The air was windy and it smelled salt. I took a deep breath and then just leaned on the metal railings of the cruise, letting the wind mess with my hair.

The moon was just the same, luminous and half. And then a thought struck me, the last day was a full moon, the next ten couldn't be one. But the evidence I had was unmistakable. The moon tonight was half, clearly imaging that the next full moon would be in more than a week. I confused myself further, and just concluded that the moon was probably having overtime.

"The moon is brilliant tonight, yes?" a young girl's voice with thickly accented English said. Again, I scolded myself for being so unaware of my surroundings. I shouldn't be sneaked up like this. I looked at the voice's direction. There was a girl there, a couple of inches shorter than me. She smelled with strawberries and I swear I could see her skin sparkling with little bits of scales. The girl looked from the moon to me. "Hey, I'm Graceling."

My first impression to the girl was that she was _beautiful_. She vaguely reminded me of a German model named Darla Baker. Even though she was short, she looked mature enough to be eighteen. She had stick-straight long black hair and bright green eyes. Her long straight nose was really impressive and her cheeks still had a little fat in them which made her look cherubic. All in all she would have looked pretty normal—aside from her stunning features—if her pupils were only set right. Her pupils were a bit elongated rather than being perfectly round, which made her look like a cat.

"I'm fourteen years old and I'm from Hungary. Your Queen was so generous that she invited us for her per-summer celebration today, and we heard that they were going to Czechoslovakia, so my family and I slipped in the opportunity to ride with the Ivashkovs out of the country because we were planning into going to Czechoslovakia too and my—"

"Okay, kid," I raised both my hands. "Breathe," She did what I told her to do and then started talking again.

"What's your name?" she asked me, her eyes almost blinding at its brightness.

"Um, I'm Rose." I said. She stuck out her hands and gave me a perfectly white smile. I shook her little hand softly, afraid I'll break such a fragile thing.

Graceling laughed all of a sudden. "You don't have to be soft with me, Rose." She said as if she read my mind. "I'm not fragile," she told me like we were old pals. She laughed again—her laugh had that same tinkling quality young people always have. "My father is the wyvern of the green dragons; my mother is the Venediger of whole Western Europe, and my brother looks like a porn star, so the word fragile or anything that's a synonym to the word is not implied to me."

_Okay_, I thought. _She's a tough girl—calling her brother a porn star._ Well, no, she technically said that her brother _looks_ like a porn star, but still. And…_ dragon_?

"I'm sorry if my English…" she cocked her head, probably searching for a right word. "…_sucks_. It is my fifth language next to basic Russian." she told me in an adorably apologetic way, it was hard to ignore her.

"It's alright. In fact, I think your English is great."

She brightened up at my least encouragement. "Thank you. I think you speak the language very well, too. You don't look American. If I have to identify you ethnicities, I would guess that you are half Gaelic." she pondered for a second or two. "Your eyes reminds me of the people in Southeastern Europe—Turkey to be exact."

I felt my eyebrows raise. "Actually, yes, my mother is Gaelic—Scottish to be exact, and I don't know _anything_ about my father except that he isn't American."

"Then, I am sure your father is Turkish." Graceling told me a matter-of-factly. "So, it is my first time meeting a Peacekeeper." she said and I turned to look at her, suddenly wary. She frowned at me. "Don't look at me like that. I know what you were for the first time I saw your eyes. And don't even think that I am crazy because I know that you are wondering why my pupils are elongated and not round."

I stared at her in shock, and then I felt a light brush of her mind.

"You know," she started again. "You should learn how to put up your mental barriers. Anyone could read your mind without them." she told me, now back to being gleeful. "I'll teach you how to make them." she said and started to teach me before a voice broke out in the salty wind.

"Wait, how do you know all this stuff about me being a Peacekeeper or whatnot?"

"What's a 'whatnot'?'"

Oh, right, the girl was Hungarian—give her credit. "Anything similar to one thing."

"Oh, like a synonym?" she asked, her mouth turning into a perfect _O_. I nodded. "Night Watcher."

"How do you know that?"

"Oh, it is because I am a green wyvern. My papa mated with my mama about seventy years ago, and my mama conceived my older brother, but I swear, he looks like a twenty year-old or so. Did I tell you that dragons were immortal? If I did not, then the answer is yes, dragons are immortal. We can do lots of things. We can breathe fire, read minds, and shift our shapes back into our scaly dragon selves."

Okay, the girls talked too much despite the fact that she didn't speak much English well. "So, for short, you read my mind?"

She shook her head, confusing me all over again. "I am not only a green wyvern, I am also necromancer. I can summon spirits and…"—she smiled at me—"whatnot."

I couldn't help but smile back at the charming little girl. "Can you do magic too? Like a witch?"

"Yes. And _witch_ is too harsh a word—I prefer magician. Or mage. My mama is a mage too that's why she's the Venediger of the whole Western Europe. If you think she likes that job—you're wrong. She loathes her job being the Venediger. So many responsibilities, but she gets the respect she wants."

A Venediger was similar to being the general of Warsaw, so I understood why Graceling's mother hated her job. And the _mage_ part gave me a brief flashback with my talk with the Winchester brothers.

Meanwhile I was talking to myself inside my brain, Graceling was talking. "I do _not_ use dark magic. _Goety_. They are very bad for my reputation, and even if I want to use _goety_, my mother would not approve of them." Blah blah blah.

Graceling was the first mage I had met, but I wish she wasn't my villain mage.

"And my _brother_! He can't do any other rather than to—" Graceling stopped all of a sudden, sniffing the air. She made a squeaking noise before a smooth, deep and heavily accented voice spoke.

"Graceling, why have you defied our father's order?" I looked around for the man who spoke, and then I sucked in a deep breath at the young man standing there with two men flanking him. Dimitri was gorgeous in a dark, sexy way—but this guy was like a Greek statue come to life. He had curly blonde hair that brushed his shoulders and the same bright green eyes with elongated pupils—it adorned a face so beautiful, it made me want to weep (figuratively). And _this_ guy must be Graceling's brother, Drake. I should give Graceling more credit than she deserved; she described her brother very well with just two words: _porn star_. Yes, Drake looked like a porn star.

Graceling tried to ignore her brother's question and slipped her small arms around her brother's waist. "Oh, Drake, I'm so glad you are here. I have met a new friend. Her name is Rose—_Roza_. I love her name. She is beautiful, I am sure you will like her too." I was only half-aware that Graceling was saying those in French. But the _Roza_ part kinda threw me off.

Drake fixed his bright-eyed gaze on me, his pupils elongating more. "It is nice to meet you, Rose." He said and I could barely understand what he was saying. He had a thicker accent than Graceling.

Speaking of, Graceling turned to me with an apologetic smile. "Forgive my brother's accent. He grew up in Paris with my mama, while I was in Hungary with papa." Her Paris sounded like _Pah-reeh_—it was delicious. I hoped I could hear how her brother says Paris. Unfortunately, her brother didn't talk much.

"_Je pense que j'ai besoin un certain temps seul_." Drake said to Graceling and then he looked at me, his pupils so thin and elongated now, somebody without enhanced vision wouldn't see it. "Vous _devez aller au père et lui expliquer pourquoi vous disparu_."

"_Je veux rester avec_ _Rosette_." I was aware of Graceling translating my name into French.

"Okay, guys, stop talking like I'm not here. And FYI, I can speak French too." I told them, tightening my jacket around me when Drake looked at me with his vertical pupils. It reminded me of two creatures—a cat and a dragon. Graceling had mentioned that she and her whole family were dragons…okay, TMTH. Too much to handle. Information Overload.

"It was nice meeting you two," I said while I slipped between the two body guards with same red hair flanking Drake. They were tall, but not as tall as Dimitri, but they were bulky enough to outweigh my Russian god. "I'll see you around, Graceling, Drake." I nodded at them in good-bye. Graceling looked disappointed and Drake looked at nothing. "_Au revoir_, to you two."

When I rounded up the corner of the cruise, the last thing I heard from Graceling was, "_Nézd mit tettél! Megijesztetted szegény Rózá_."

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**Translations (French):**

Je pense que j'ai besoin un certain temps seul – I need some time alone.

Vous devez aller au père et lui expliquer pourquoi vous disparu – You have to go back to father and explain why you disappeared.

Mais je veux rester avec Rosette – But I want to stay with Rose.

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**Translation (Hungarian):**

Nézd mit tettél! Megijesztetted szegény Rózá – Look what you did! You just scared poor Rose.

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**Don't you just love siblings? Graceling and Drake are my fave new characters here so far.**

**So, ya like the chapter? 555 reviews 'til I update? LOL! Give Rose some reviews, I'm just trying to improve everyone's skills for reviewing (lack, thereof). If they are any typos or wrong grammars, I'm sorry about them, I just don't have the time to proof read and edit this chapter. My internet connection is going insane!**

**Some of your questions should be answered in here. Salut!**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**

**xx**

**P.S. I know that I am using some words that don't come out on dictionaries, so review me if you have questions!**


	31. Meet the Pyromaniacs

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! I'm really glad it made it to 555!**

**Enjoy the chapter! Title says it all!**

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**Chapter Twenty-nine**

**Meet the Pyromaniacs**

Sometimes, people just don't get what the phrase "alone time" means. For the third time of my first hour in the cruise, I was—again—interrupted. Often times, I don't bother being interrupted, but today—or tonight—was just different.

I was on the front deck of the cruise where the wind was at its strongest. My hair was fluttering everywhere and I couldn't smell anything but the salty water. It wasn't a minute later when I felt a presence similar to Graceling's. Oh, great, another stalker.

"You know, it's not very nice to sneak up on people you don't even know." I said, directing it to Drake.

Before I turned to look at Drake, I took a deep breath to stop myself from mentally imploding. When I turned around, I was—again—struck by Graceling's brother's Greek god beauty. The deck was dark, but my enhanced vision helped me sculpt up his features more than it already was. I could see clearly that Drake was about half a foot taller than me. He looked like he was in his near twenties with his dark green silk shirt and black pants. And I guessed my best way to approach a dragon-stalker was by aggression.

"You know that I don't like being followed." I said in a low voice, boring my gaze on Drake. Drake wasn't the least bit intimidated. He stepped closer to me, and like a dog, sniffed me around. I should say that that made me a tad bit uncomfortable, but I didn't let him see that. I just stood up straight, not flinching when he stopped sniffing in front of my face. His bright green eyes seemed to brighten more, if that was even possible. His pupils elongated until they were only black slits on the sea of emerald.

"You have enticed my little sister with your inhuman charms, Peacekeeper. Leave her alone, or I will burn you until your last breath." he practically growled under his breath. First, I couldn't understand him because his accent was so thick, and then a few seconds ticked by, a slow smile crept to my lips when his words sunk in. The smile that had made its way to my lips was not good and Drake probably saw that because backed up a few inches away.

I followed him and said this to him with exact clarity, brushing my mind with his so he'd get my message well. "I do not respond well to threats, _dragon_." Dragon Lesson 101: Never call a dragon a dragon.

Drake snarled a nasty oath in French at me. "I swear I will kill you if you hurt Graceling!" he translated in a more hospitable language.

"You're too protective of your sister." I said, putting necessary emphasis on _too_. "She's a big girl now; she doesn't need redheaded body guards following her around. You should see what she is capable of doing on her own." I let my voice seep into his mind again. It was my third time doing this, and it was getting handy. When Drake didn't acknowledge my calming gesture, I got annoyed. "Calm down, Drake, I'm not here to kill neither your sister nor anybody innocent here in the cruise. You should show respect, I am a Peacekeeper, I probably saved your tailed scaly asses only God knows for how many times."

Drake calmed down a little, and when I say a little, it's only a little. "I do _not_ bow down to lower-classed creatures like you." he snapped at me, and, again, swore an oath that he would be the one "destroying" me of I would not do what he says.

I glared at the dragon, aware that he had yellowish-green bits of scales on his strong neck. "Oh, you think I'm a lower-classed creature. Well, think again because I'm going to—" I stopped, somehow reluctant to say such a vile threat.

Drake gave me a nasty smile. "What? Cat got your tongue?"

_Oh, you asked for it_. "I'm going to castrate your genitalia off if you're going to bother me again." I pictured the image of my Sicillian castrating knife and an example picture of a genitalia being…er, _cut_.

Give it to the dragon, he didn't flinch one bit, but he did stiffen. "You threaten to neuterize me? I will be glad to have you do it in honor of protecting my sister." Brave man.

I just stared at him, suddenly weary. "You make no damn sense with your English, Drake." I leaned back on the railing and looked at him. "Let's start over. I'm Rose, the cursed, proscribed, and once bitten."

Drake just stood there for a second, arms with thick muscles across his chest. "I am wary of a proscribed one's presence near my family. My mother has just been cleansed not so long ago. And…_ once bitten_? I demand to know what that means."

_Dragons_, I thought silently_, are arrogant sons of bitches_.

"Have you heard of the phrase, 'once bitten, twice shy?'"

Drake pondered for a second and then nodded. "Yes, I am familiar with the phrase. Are you pointing out that you have been bitten by your own kind and you grew wary of them?"

I shook my head. "You take the bitten thing too literally. I wasn't speaking specifically—so, I forgive your assumptions."

"Ah," Drake said all of a sudden when I felt his mind brush with mine. "You mean that you were heartbroken, yes?" I was surprised that Drake's voice was softer now—not the deep, arrogant one he used a while ago. "And you do not want to hope that he still likes you, _hein_? And you vice versa?" he continued.

"That's none of your business," I said, and then it was like the world had tilted into the most heartbreaking thing and the most amazing thing all at once. Dimitri stepped out of the shadows, his face drawn and dark. He looked like he wasn't looking at where he was going, but when he looked up, he was surprised to see that the moon was in front of him. His guard went down for just half a second, and then he was scanning the area for possible threats.

My happiness grew a little because fate didn't break us apart like it did the last time. Well… that was what I _thought_. The fate bringing us back together thing, I mean. The picture of him as perfection in front of me died when _fate_ itself had other plans for him and me.

A woman with long jet-black hair ran toward Dimitri with her pale wintry blue eyes focused on him—really not aware of where she was going except that she had to get to Dimitri. Her pink lips were raised into a smile, revealing her two pointed fangs. All in all, the woman was gorgeous. She was gorgeous before I recognized her.

It was Natasha Ozera. Christian's aunt. The one I saved from being beaten alive by the abominations.

It didn't surprise me to see the raised purplish scar on her left cheek, but it _more_ than surprised me when she ran toward Dimitri with a playful glare and put her arms around him like they were partners. And when I say partners, I mean _partners_.

I looked at Dimitri. He looked startled for a moment, and then he looked down at Natasha. Natasha was a couple of inches taller than me, and it gave her lesser toes to reach up to Dimitri's ears, and whisper words I wish I'd never heard.

"Gotcha,"

Okay, I was overreacting. _Gotcha_ was all she said, but when you're a girl love-struck with your mentor, you can't help but feel a tad bit of jealousy, right? The _gotcha_ part had the little bit of jealousy, but the skinny white arms around him…_that_ was another story. And soon, it would be history. The skinny arms, I meant. I wanted to snap them and break their bones until they weren't bones anymore. Yes…until they were the tiniest bits of _smithereens_.

A small part of me felt awful for thinking such violent things, but the bigger part of me was raging to go snap that Natasha's pretty white neck and arms. Somehow, I managed to drag my eyes away from the twosome, and go back to telling the dragon Drake to back off. While I was turning my head to look back at Drake, I snarled a curse to myself. And then I said a few choice words when Drake was nowhere to be seen.

"_Ennuyeux dragons_," I hissed, and then turned away… only just to be called back by the most annoying sound I ever heard. Or so the sound was only annoying for me because it belonged to a fire-breathing hag who's trying to steal Dimitri from me!

"Good evening!" she called.

My back stiffened, but I managed to turn to face her with a pleasant smile on my face. "Right backatcha," was all I said before turning my back again from them—pointedly avoiding Dimitri's gaze on me. Hopefully, he wouldn't have seen me.

"Hey, Dimka," _Now that was really annoying_. "You're losing your touch on being polite. Say good evening, too."

I wanted to puke at the sweetness applied to her voice. Well, I was being biased, I know. The woman had sincere intentions, but those intentions just weren't my thang.

I had been silently wishing that Dimitri wouldn't oblige to what Natasha said, but unfortunately, fate—or rather Dimitri—was trying to break my heart into smaller smithereens than my imaginary Natasha's arm could. "Good evening, Rose." _Oh, great. He just saw me!_

I turned back to look at them again without even looking at them. "Same to you, Guardian Belikov." I applied an equally cold voice. "If you'd excuse me, I've got some…_business_ to attend to." I said and didn't wait for either of their reply. I just strode away from them as fast as I could.

When I was sure I was far from them, I leaned back against the wall, my heart pounding hard and my breathing sharp and deep. I just stayed there for awhile, thinking up what would happen in the next few days of my existence living with this pestilence of my life.

I just wished I'd die first of heartbreak, but cursed immortals like me weren't that easily killed.

***Next day***

I was in Lissa and Mia's room, both tending to them due to their hangovers. They groaned and rolled over their bed, making them groan more. It was late in the morning, so the sun was at its highest peak. I shut their heavy velvet drapes (Moroi gets the most protection from the sun), and made them some kind of concoction to treat their headaches. All of the gang had stayed late last night. Tumbling to their respective beds when the sun was at its time to rise. They had just been asleep for about four hours, but I knew full well that they weren't really sleeping from their aching skulls.

I didn't need sleep as much as Moroi did. I can only sleep for about three hours, and then I'll be as good as new the next day. Last night—or dawn rather—I had slept with the most annoying thoughts of Dimitri and Natasha being together. I hadn't gotten that much sleep because of it, but I was alert.

The cruise shimmied a little, causing the drape to shake and reveal the least of the sun's sight. That was enough to make Lissa and Mia groan loudly. They covered their eyes.

"I have never hated the sun so much in my life." said Lissa as she tried to sit up, but failed.

"I hated the sun before, but now, I resentfully loathe it." supplied Mia in a still-drunk voice.

I hushed them down. "Harsh words. I love the sun. You're just saying those because you're still drunk. Such profanities about the sun would be forgiven." Okay, I was lying. I didn't actually _love_ the sun. It, too, gave me bad side effects.

They didn't answer, just groaned at me.

After I treated my patients, I emailed a little something to Sam, asking if he and Dean wanted something from Czech, but changed my mind and went to the bar.

The bar in the cruise was open twenty-four hours, and it served breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The people working in the bar were humans and no pale-skinned Moroi were to be seen anywhere. There were only about two to three families of humans who were with us in the cruise and I silently hoped that the Moroi won't drain their feeders dry. There were a few dhampirs drinking and eating, but none of them I knew. Obviously, they knew me because when I passed by a group of them, their muffled laughs silenced as they greeted me a good morning. I paid them no heed and—with an arrogant air, I might add—casually strolled to the booth that was the cleanest and sun-proof.

From time to time, some dhampirs or humans would come and go from the bar, but again, I paid no heed to anything but the dragons who were sitting not far across from me. They looked lovely under the sun, it made their skin glitter and turn scalier—although not unattractively—than it already was. I could see that Drake was there. His curly blond mane hung loosely on his shoulders as he leaned close to whisper on another guy's ear. I didn't miss Drake's eyes when it landed for half a second on me. The recipient of Drake's words was equally gorgeous as well, but it was opposite to Drake's Greek god beauty. This guy had black hair, tanned skin, and the same bright green eyes and elongated pupils. The features reminded me of the teenage girl I had met yesterday. The guy looked like he was in his mid-thirties, but something in him told me that he has been around the world for a while.

The same two redheaded men I saw yesterday were on another table, eating their breakfast slowly while their eyes darted from place to place. They reminded me of what guardians always do, but they were dragons, not guardians.

I heard the bar's door open and then the sounds of laughter hit me. I looked at the door, and I wondered why I didn't break down then and there. Dimitri and Natasha were there. Dimitri was smiling down at Natasha with the look of amusement in his eyes. I noticed that Dimitri was kind of bare. And then it hit me that he wasn't wearing his cowboy duster. I looked at Natasha and I nearly dashed and slashed at her. She was there, heavily clothed with Dimitri's duster, clad with a hat, gloves, and galsses to hide her from the sun. Natasha was laughing at some joke Dimitri or she made while she took off some apparatus of her.

Then there, Dimitri's future kind of splayed out right before me. He would be happy to have someone like Natasha. And saying that the fire-breathing Moroi ecstatic with Dimitri would be the understatement of the year. A smidgen part of me said that I wasn't right for Dimitri because of many reasons, but the bigger part of me wasn't letting Dimitri go without a fight.

_And that fight you'll surely win_, it said and then I snapped at it to shut its friggin' pie hole.

The door opened again only for me to see Graceling and a tall, blonde and gorgeous woman with her. They were both smiling as Graceling half-dragged the woman—who was also smiling madly—to, surprisingly, my booth.

I looked at the male dragons. Drake and his partner weren't surprised, but the two redheaded dragons looked a bit disgruntled.

Graceling smiled at me and waved in a waiter. "Good morning, Rose. You have that look of potent impetuosity on your face. Who has angered you so much that you look like you want to kill someone? I hope it's not Drake because he tends to seduce every girl he meets, but it is unlikely that you are mad at him since you are not looking at him. Is it the bar you resent? Yes? We can go to another if you'd like."

I smiled at the beautiful teen in front of me. She smiled back, a more genuine and bright smile than mine. "Nobody pissed me off," _Nuh-uh_.

She looked at me questioningly. "Then why are your eyes filled with so much hinged rage, it almost hurts to look at you?"

"Do not answer her," I almost forgot about the woman with Graceling. The woman was beautiful in every way. She had that same delicate-boned features as Graceling's, but only her hair and eyes were different. Her hair was blonde and curly like Drake's and her eyes were a color of light grey. She smiled at me, the sight of her teeth almost blinding. "Her manners have been substituted by an untrained monkey's." the woman said.

"Oh," Graceling said all of a sudden. She looked at the woman to me with a rueful expression. "Forgive me. Rose, this is my mother, Valerie." she introduced us with an excited smile.

I couldn't help but let out a small smile at Graceling's exuberance. Before I could utter out one word, Valerie spoke. And let me tell you, she speak just as much as Graceling does.

"Graceling has told me everything about you all night. You being a Peacekeeper and all. I am very pleased to meet the Peacekeeper. It is my first time to meet your kind since there are only three in the whole wide world and two centuries would certainly not be enough to seek your people. It is my job to know every creature in the world with me as an archimage, and believe me, I hate my job so. I only had that privilege because I was challenged in a duel. The duel is always until death, but I could not let myself die, could I? So I serve for the L'au-dela committee, and they, too, serve me in return. But do not think that I like serving them. The members of the committee are bastards and jerks. I am lucky to be a wyvern's mate. They do not have it in them to touch or make a move on a wyvern's mate."

I stared at Valerie, my mouth slightly ajar, and then I closed it before she could notice that I was openly gaping at her. Her French accent wasn't as worst as Drake's so I could still understand her. However, she was just as bubbly and talkative as her daughter.

A waitress got to our table and put down three drinks. For each of us. I didn't remember ordering anything.

"Grapefruit juice for me." said Graceling, charmingly smiling at the waitress. "Black coffee for mama. And then a cold, newly-blended smoothie for my dearest Rose."

I eyed the smoothie in front of me and then to Graceling. "I didn't order anything." I told her.

She smiled at me and tapped her head. "I am psychic," she said with a giggle.

Valerie sipped her black coffee, and then grimaced, spitting out a few French swear words. "_Merde_, their black coffee tastes like sand." she said and frowned at the coffee as if it offended her. "_Americans_. They have no taste in coffee." **(A/N: No pun intended)**

Graceling nudged her mom. "Eh, mama, you do not want to say that in front of Rose. She is from America, you know?" she told her mom in a silent but not silent whisper.

Valerie gasped and then apologized to me. "I am sorry. I thought you were European like the rest of the people here. You do not look American to me, though. You like Turkish and Gaelic both at the same time. What is your last name?"

"Hathaway," I said, sipping on the smoothie Graceling ordered for me.

"Ah," Valerie said. "Scottish, it is?"

"Mama, it is not like I haven't told you before." Graceling said, a slight chiding tone on her voice.

She looked at her daughter. "Oh, but, maybe you were wrong my dear daughter. She could have been Indian or South-American for all we know!" **(A/N: Again, no pun intended)**

Graceling surprised me by putting on a martyred expression on her face. "Mama," was all she said. And then a second or two later, she bolted up saying, "_A fene egye meg_," I didn't know what that meant, but from her mother's reaction, it was surely a swear word.

"Graceling Vireo! You do not speak like that in front of the table."

Again, Graceling murmured the words again, her eyes scanning the bar. I scanned too, but nothing seemed wrong.

"What's wrong?" I asked her mother.

Valerie looked at me with a look of weary on her face. "Graceling is having a premonition again. She does that usually when trouble is ahead."

Whoa, rewind. Did she just say _premonition_? Within a second or two, Graceling was seated again, a frown forming on her face when she looked at me. "You should have told me."

"What?" I asked.

Her frown deepened. "Who you were mad at,"

"Oh, that," I said and I suddenly found interest on the lines of my palms.

"Well?" Graceling asked expectantly. I didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings by not answering her. She had just been a good talker to me, sharing her ideas in life. Should I return her the favor?

Before I could speak, she sighed. "Okay, I know you are going to tell me, but it is out of pity. I do not like pity. In fact, I loathe it to the deepest pits of hell." she told me simply and the sighed again. She took my hand in hers. "Let me give you some advice. I am good at counseling, yes. I have been giving them to some kids back in America." she said and squeezed my hand. Her mother just looked back and forth from me, and then she nodded, a look of comprehension on her face. "I know how hard it is to be jealous. Believe me, _Roza_, I _know_. But smiting an old lady by backhanding her fire powers? That is not acceptable to etiquette, you know?"

I looked at Graceling seriously. "What old lady? I don't smite old ladies."

Graceling sighed and made a comical gesture with her hands. "The fire-breathing hag, as you'd like to call her secretly. I have seen a vision of you—" she stopped and sniffed the air, and then screwed up her face. "My brother," she told me. "Uses the foulest of all foul male perfumes."

"Hello, mama, Graceling." A voice with a lush French accent said. Drake was there, standing with the man who was with him on the table. "Father wishes to talk to both of you in private." He said, not even sparing me a glance. Not that I cared.

"_Kincsem_," the man who was Graceling and Drake's father said with the same accent as Graceling's. "I will see you and Graceling at our suite for our conversation." The man said, politeness on his words.

Graceling shrugged her shoulders loosely. "No _problema_. Oh, papa, this is Rose, me and mom's new friend."

The man looked at me and made and elegant, sweeping bow like people in the good ol' times do. He took my hand and kissed my knuckles. "It is always a pleasure to meet Graceling and Valerie's new acquaintances." He told me. "I am Drake Vireo, wyvern of the green dragons."

I must have looked puzzled because Graceling explained. "Papa and my brother have the same name. It is family tradition."

"Oh," was all I could say. I could hear people's buzzed conversations now. It was centered to none other than yours truly. And the dragons.

We exchanged good-byes and I was more than a little surprised that Drake Jr. stayed. I ignored him and sipped at my smoothie, busying my mind with murderous thoughts of how to torment either Natasha or Dimitri.

I felt someone's mind brush with mine. It was now getting too familiar. I looked up accusingly at Drake. He gave me a grin that could have melted Kathy's panties right away. Unfortunately, I was immune to his charm. Well, some of them. He leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"I know what you are thinking. How about I make it up to you for my disappearance yesterday? I will help you torment your lover." He said the last word with a little impetuous note.

I looked away from him and busied myself with a table napkin. "I don't want you making up for anything. And _he_ certainly is _not_ my lover."

Drake stretched up and looked at me in bland amusement. He hid his emotions too much. "Ah, gives me hope, then."

I looked at him, disgruntled. "What? Are—are you hitting on me?"

He raised one blond brow at me and frowned. "I do not do things such as 'hit on' women. That is abuse to them."

I just rolled my eyes at him. His English wasn't too far off from a rustic man speaking in rustic English language. He took my arm and put his arm around my waist. I elbowed him, but he stayed intact at my side.

"You know, you have the most wonderful face I have ever seen," Drake said in a pointedly loud voice when we passed by where Natasha Ozera and Dimitri were talking. From the sounds of it, they were "catching up." I should have believed that that was it if it weren't for Natasha's pasty, slender hands playing on Dimitri's big tan ones.

Again, I felt Drake's mind brush with mine.

"I can guarantee that you would not be disappointed at my 'making up' for you. I am a fine lover as it is, and I am a finer dragon lover if you are in need of it." he told me as we sat not far from Dimitri and Natasha's stools.

I knew that Dimitri had seen me, and he wanted to talk to me about something, but I could feel that he didn't really want to offend Natasha by excusing himself away from her.

_His problem_, one part of me dismissed. _It's his loss. It could be anyone's gain._

It is _no one's _gain, I told the voice firmly.

Ugh, now I was talking to myself. This was going to be one looong day in the cruise.

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**So, guys, how'd ya like it?**

**Leave a REVIEW to tell me what you think!**

**Love lots,**

**Kate:D**

**xx**


	32. Beautiful Disaster

**This chapter has a bit of drama in it. Hope you like drama. Not much jokes and fun here, but I prefer to call this an RxD drama chapter. Seriously guys, I cried when I wrote one part of this chap. ARGH! PMS! I was sleepy when I made this, so I'm so sorry if it makes no sense. :( I haven't proof-read it, too.**

**Chapter song – Hungover by Kesha**

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**Chapter Thirty**

**Beautiful Disaster**

"Are you alright? You look unwell." Drake said and pushed a strand of dark hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear.

I took a little peek at Natasha, who was subtly flirting with Dimitri, and Dimitri who was nonchalantly letting his smile spread on his lips. I felt sick. Yeah, I really felt sick.

Drake touched my cold cheek. "You are not going to vomit on me, are you?" he asked, his ever-stoic voice hinting concern. Drake, I knew, was almost as good as Dimitri in being stoic. Well, except when Drake is angry though. When Drake knows there's a threat nearby, he strikes first before thinking. He wasn't well controlled on his temper too. That made both of us.

It took only a little energy for me not to slap his hand away.

"I am absolutely fine. And just for your information, I do not _vomit_ on people, especially when one of those people is _you_." I said in an unintentionally harsh tone. I was lying; I really wanted to spill my guts out. Not the kind of puking when dark spots fill your vision and you can't talk right anymore—it was more like you just wanted to withdraw something out of your body through the mouth. _That_ was what it felt like to me when I drink too much alcohol.

So much for tormenting my _lover_, as Drake would like to call him.

I took another swig of the awfully strong alcohol, and then swigged for another round, casting a swift glance at the _twosome_ not far from us. I made a disgusted sound between a snort and a mew. I know that sound didn't make any sense, but I just kind of made it sound like that.

"I think that is enough, Rose. Even if you are a Peacekee—"

I immediately covered Drake's mouth with my hand and hushed him, looking around the room to look if anybody had heard what he said. Luckily, there were no creepy people listening to us. Or rather nobody was gaping, gawking and staring at us—not directly, really. There was one particular person who was stiffening at me and Drake's skin contact.

"Dimka?" Natasha asked. "You're acting kind of weird today. Are you sure that you're not tired? We can call a rain-check if you want."

Drake got my signal, and wrenched my hand away from his mouth. He took the side of my head, and then leaned it on his shoulder. I snuggled close to him. The smell of Drake's aftershave wasn't as response-tingling as Dimitri's, but it smelled nice. I wonder why Graceling had said that her brother used the foulest of all the foul male perfumes. Maybe dragons just had their way of smelling.

"Yeah," Even though Dimitri's tone was convincingly blank, I could hear the lie in it. "I didn't really get that much sleep last night. Three hours at most."

That lie took me by surprise. I looked at the twosome and was surprised at how near their faces were.

"You know," Drake started, whispering in my ear. "You are holding back the fine dragon lover inside of me, Rose. Do not just ignore _him_." From somebody else's perspective, Drake and I would both have looked like real couples snuggling—Drake whispering sweet nothings in my ear—and just stark in love, but what they didn't know was that we were planning on our next evil move to torment a specific somebody.

I added a giggle there and it sounded a little louder than I had intended it to. I saw Dimitri's neck turn still. Even though the sight of it was obscured by the low ponytail of his brown hair, I could see it clearly.

"Oh, why did I even let you come with me today?" Natasha asked rhetorically, smiling ruefully at Dimitri. She playfully smacked his shoulder, and then—ugh!—rubbed the part there. Still smiling, she said, "Let's go back to your room. I'll take care of you since you took care of me last night."

Whoa, wait—WHAT?

"I only made you a cup of coffee because you drank too much punches last night. That doesn't count." Dimitri said.

"Aw, come on!" said the fire-breathing hag, leaning into Dimitri with huge, innocent eyes. "Nobody gave you the responsibility to take care of me specifically, so let's get even. Let me give you a body massage, and then—"

I burst into laughter. I didn't know what else to do. Other than break down and weep, or scream in frustration, I chose laughter in the three. It was the best option—_some_ people might think I was crazy if I screamed for no reason, and they would think I'm double nuts if I'd cry for—again—no reason since Drake and I looked like an utterly happy and in love couple. _And_ I absolutely did _not_ want to cry in front of my friendly-fire. It was bad enough that I'd let him "make up" for his abrupt absence last night. It wasn't like I had the choice either.

Almost all of the people in the bar turned to look at me with a "she's crazy" look. Well, it was better than screaming or crying. I looked back at them, flashing my eyes with something that had them figuratively stuttering.

I caught Dimitri's head shaking from side to side as if he disapproved of me laughing out loud like a hyena. He and Natasha stood up. Dimitri helped Natasha put on his leather duster, and then he shoved the crochet beanie on Natasha's head, his lips tightly smiling.

Beside me, Drake wasn't saying anything, just caressing my hair like what couples always do. He really was one convincing little cookie. Or rather big dragon.

Natasha took Dimitri's arm, practically dragging the huge dhampir, despite her skinny but tall stature. If Natasha Ozera just wasn't a rival of mine, I would have thought she was gorgeous and friendly. But now—me being biased and all—she was just the fire-breathing—er, or rather fire-throwing hag trying to steal away the only man I loved. Really _loved_. But then, I realized that I wasn't good for him.

What would people do if they're in love with someone, but you _know_ that you're just too dangerous for them? Would you fight for your love or just cave in? Let go of him so he would live happily ever after?

_But what about me?_ That was the question that starred in my non-altruistic mind. _Do I get the happiness I want?_

My internal conversation with myself reminded me of the message in the bottle. The woman who had written the letter had let him go, but it was a choice made by the heat of the moment. Speculating the letter for a second or two, I realized how the woman must have felt when she lost him for the first time. How she felt when she found the love of her life with another girl. How obligated she felt to let him go because she loved him too much that she wanted to be angry with herself. How she felt when love is lost.

With a heavy heart, I pulled away from Drake and just stared at Dimitri's back, imagining how his life would turn out with his kids and his own family.

I kept my face perfectly blank as they're retreating figures disappeared. He never looked back when he walked away, but I could almost feel that his eyes were on me.

My throat constricted and then suddenly, I felt like crying. I wasn't mad Natasha. I didn't like playing jealousy games—they just don't turn to the right way in your life. Hell, I didn't even like my life now. I thought that my life would turn into a normal happy life when I decided to enroll in the academy, but _my_ life wasn't just that easy to stay away from. It always finds its way to come back to me.

I hoped that Dimitri would also find his way back to me, like what my life did. I just hoped.

***Sunset***

The day had been…uneventful. Other than hanging out with Graceling and her mom, I was just…_bored_. Life made no sense. I was proscribed and in the near future, my powers would be stripped away from me by the hands of my arch-enemy, a mage I didn't even know. Dimitri was avoiding me for some reason I didn't want to know. I was just—for the lack of a better description—stoic.

Drake had been, well, Drake. Ignoring people, shooting me glares from time to time, and _always_ talking with Drake Sr., his father.

Graceling and her mom had been accompanying me mostly in the afternoon after their talk with Drake Sr., and they tried their best to cheer me up. I should say, they _really_ tried their best. They knew what happened earlier via mind-reading—or in Graceling's case, via-premonition—and they threatened to drop Natasha to the sea-water if it would make me feel better. Of course, I knew they were exaggerating, but still, I profusely told them not to do anything to either Dimitri or Natasha—that it was just _my_ business to take care of.

By the time Graceling and her mom, Valerie, were summoned back to their private cruise suite for sleep (and I forget to mention, dragons sleep really early) by one of the redheaded body guards named Istvan, I was left all alone on the railing that faced the sunset. I was in an isolated place in the cruise and, clearly, there was nobody in this part. The Moroi were still fast asleep on their beds, they usually wake up at eight at night, and surely they were expected to be sleeping longer now since they have been parting pretty hard last night.

The place was eerily quiet except for the sound of the sea and wind. It was like everything had left. Like Dimitri. I know that I was being emotional, but what the heck? I only get to do these at very seldom times, practically never. Also, I knew that Dimitri wasn't really leaving, but his earlier rejection had hurt. The kiss. That was the only thing I could think of. Was I not good enough for him to like? I know that I wasn't a pale, scarred gorgeous like Natasha, but I had looks. Or that was what I thought.

When I couldn't take the silence anymore, I spoke out loud. "What did I do to deserve a life like this?" I half-shouted, looking at the sun accusingly. "Why does everything I—I _love_ keep going away? My mother was already stolen away from me—could anything get anymore worse?"

I stared at the setting sun for a while, taking in my words. I was indignant enough not to be self-conscious by talking to myself.

There was a question inside of me that I had been really trying hard to ignore. I stopped avoiding the truth. I knew what the answer was. "Am I—_inadequate_? What do I need to do to have a normal life like the rest of the people?" I was shouting now. I knew full well that the term _normal_ meant something human. Mundane. But as a stretch, the only _normal_ I could probably get was being a guardian when I grow up. _If _I grow up, that is.

I didn't like how things were turning out right now. I wish I just hadn't taken Dimitri's rejection too personally. I wish that I hadn't met him. I wish I had just stayed back to my life before—hunting the undead.

_Too late now_, I told myself. As sensei would say, _regrets come last_. He was right—he always was. And I _am_ always wrong.

I expected for some miracle to happen, or at least a sign—a thunder in the sky or whatnot, but unfortunately, there wasn't that much things life has offered me. I didn't know how long I waited for a sign there on the railing, but it was a while. When I returned to my body and mind, the sun was down and the lights were on. The wind cold, leaving me feeling empty.

I didn't want to feel this way, I wanted to be stronger. Hell, I wasn't called _the_ Slayer for nothing.

I turned on my heel, and started walking. To Dimitri's room. The cruise was very big; it took me about more than five minutes to arrive there at Dimitri's door. I didn't knock, but I just stood there on the railing, leaning and smelling the salty air.

A few guardians passed my way, nodding at me as a greeting, but I paid them no heed. I could hear the sounds made in Dimitri's room. Natasha was ready to leave and they were talking about something that I didn't want to hear. When Dimitri's door flew open, I didn't turn. Natasha was there, giggling like a giddy girl and I could hear Dimitri's nonchalant chuckle. The sound of it kind of made me feel better—I welcomed it. I need composure if I wanted to talk to him.

Just seconds later, I heard a smacking sound of… God, did they just—_kiss_? It took all of my control not to run away.

"Good night, Dimka. Think about it, okay?" I heard Natasha say in a dazed voice.

"I will," was all Dimitri said when I heard Natasha's footsteps retreat. I didn't hear his door close, and I could hear clearly his heartbeat and breathing—it was controlled, barely.

I took that as my cue to turn around. As always, I was struck by Dimitri's gorgeousness, but I couldn't summon up the words to describe what he looked like. I didn't know why, but it just hurt.

"We need to talk," said Dimitri. I knew what his eyes were hiding, I knew what he was feeling, but I can't just go picking up other people's feelings like they were pears on a tree.

"I think that would be best," I barely recognized my own voice—it was cold, very cold. It was unlike the ones I have used with Strigoi. If it was even possible, it was colder.

Dimitri closed his eyes for a second, and then gestured me to come in his room. I marched, wary. His room was simple, just like mine. Cream and brown sheets on a single bed, and wood panel doors. Somehow, his room seemed empty even though some things were scattered around.

He pulled out a chair for me. I sat down without saying anything. He offered me nothing, and that was good—straight to the point. He pulled a chair and sat in front of me. He tucked a strand of his unruly hair behind his ear and looked at me in the eye. I looked back at him, really seeing nothing.

"Rose," he started, looking me dead-straight in the eye. "Look at me." he said in a soft tone.

I just stared at him. "I _am_ looking at you," I told him, noting again that my voice could pass as being the coldest in the whole wide world.

He sighed, and then let his guard fall. It was incredible when he had his guard down. I get to see those emotions that only a few people get to see. When he did that, it made me feel a tad bit significant to his life. Hell, I think I'm even living for those times. The expression that played on his face was an encompassing treadmill of passion. Dimitri seldom showed his emotions, and it made me glad he was good at hiding them, because if you'd see what he was really feeling, you'd just be struck silent.

"No, Rose," he sighed. He didn't call me Roza. He put his hand on my chin, leveling me with his look. "Look at me, really." His eyes were now showing sorrow, mixing it with the passion he so naturally held.

Now, when I spoke, my voice broke. "I _am_ looking at you," and then, my walls broke down. _Again_. It was so abrupt that it made me breathless. My chest felt as heavy as ever and my throat constricted from holding back tears.

Dimitri looked at me tenderly and caressed my cheek.

"What's wrong with me, comrade?" I asked in a small voice. "I think everybody keeps running away from me. Am I a leper or something?" I laughed morbidly. I blinked back tears, looking at him without hiding myself. "I just don't get it. You're going to leave me with Natasha, too?" I hated how petty I sounded.

"No, Rose, you don't—" he started but I cut him off by my roar.

I stood up from my seat so fast, it rocked back. I stared at him, letting the tears that I tried so hard to blink back fall. "Then tell me—what I did wrong!" I ignored when the glass nearby shook.

He looked up at me and then stood up, hovering in front of me. Even though our height difference was about a foot, I didn't feel small. He held my shoulders and peered at me with anguished eyes. "Rose," when he said that, his voice was just as cold as mine before. I could almost read his mind now. He was struggling for words and control. "What are you talking about?"

This must be a nightmare. This must be a nightmare and I would wake up any second in sensei's home. "What am I talking about?" I asked him and looked up at him and hid my hurt with fury. "I'm talking about _you_. You keep pushing me away. You keep denying it. You always go out with Natasha even though you don't—" I stopped. I didn't know what I was saying.

He looked at me with cold eyes. The passion there was gone, I was sad to say. "Though I don't what? Please continue, Rosemarie, I would like to hear how you've been keeping an eye on me."

I looked at him. Just looked at him. This wasn't the Dimitri I knew. _He wasn't supposed to be like this_! my mind wailed in frustration. He just subtly called me a stalker. God, that just hurt. I looked away and saw the door. This was just too much for me to handle—I wanted to go _home_. I wanted to forget all this stuff had happened. Just over a month ago, I was content with sensei and my obligation, but now, I was proscribed—meant to be damned forever.

Just the single thought of my proscription, I erased my problem about Dimitri. I slipped out of him as fast I could, about to make my exit, but I stopped.

"_Roza_," he said, emotions coloring his tone. "I'm sorry," he told me.

I closed my eyes, willing the tears away. "You think I'm going to accept your apology?" I asked, laughing humorlessly. My back was still to him. "Your denial, _comrade_,"—it was still hard to say his name—"hurt me." I sniffled and looked at him, summoning up a smile. "But you know what?" I asked him rhetorically. "I don't care!" I half-shouted, gesturing my hands around him. "I, myself, have much better things to worry about." I turned back, opening the door, but he was faster than I had anticipated.

He locked my arm so I couldn't get the door knob. He leaned in close to my ear and whispered in a hoarse tone. "_Roza_," Just that one word, it made me stop struggling. "Please, stop." He said, but I tried my best to ignore him, telling him to let me go. "It wasn't my intention to hurt you." He told me and let me go. I turned back to him and slapped him across his face. It was my first time to slap a guy, despite the fact that I had been kicking asses since men started wearing leggings.

My slap hurt, I know. Dimitri's face was screwed to the side, his eyes closed.

"You just say that. But I'm not going to let myself hope _again_. _Comrade_,"—the word came out hard—"I've been open to you with my feelings. Couldn't you at least return the favor?"

His eyes opened and he looked at me. "_Roza_,"

"NO! Don't call me that!" I shouted, storming toward the door and then stopped to look back at him. "You know how you affect Dimitri." I said, my voice thick with tears. "You _know_ how I'm affected by that _word_."

"Rose, I'm sorry," he said again, his eyes suspiciously bright. "I know how you feel, Rose."

I stared at the door blankly, letting the tears fall silently.

"I know how I feel too. Rose, as much as I hate to admit it, I think that I have—" he didn't continue. His heartbeat was erratic and his breathing deep and hitching.

"You have what?"

"I think that I have fallen for my student." He said silently.

I closed my eyes, my insides lightening a little. "Thank you, Dimitri. That means a lot to me." was all I said when I opened his door and stepped out of his room, running away as fast as I could.

I didn't know where I was, but I knew that I was now far from Dimitri. I leaned back against a wall, suddenly very, very tired. Crying didn't make me feel any better.

_Crying_, I thought. My heart suddenly quickened. Dean had told me that I shouldn't cry in front of anybody because my tears won't be normal tears. I hurriedly caught my tears in my palms and looked at them. I was horrified. Just beyond horrified. My tears were tinged with red, and it broke my heart wholly because Dimitri—of all people—has seen them. My knees buckled and I was sobbing hard. What would he think of me now?

Suddenly, I heard sprinting footsteps. My eyes scanned the place and I caught the scent. _Dragon_.

Without warning, a girl was in front of me, her eyes showing only sorrow. "Oh, _Roza_, I am too late. I am sorry." She told me, and then I heard footsteps again, Now, the scents were both Moroi and dragon.

I didn't stand up; I just looked up at Graceling in consternation.

For the next two seconds, Drake was there, followed by a worried-looking Lissa, and a dazed Mia. Drake swore in French, and ran a hand through his curly blond mane. Mia gasped, horror etched over her face when she saw me. Lissa just hugged me tightly. Despite everything about me, she wasn't afraid.

"We have to get you a cure somehow." Lissa said. She didn't know what happened to me.

I looked up at Graceling thankfully. She just smiled at me.

* * *

**Poor, poor Rose. Help cleanse her tears and tainted soul by giving a review.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate:D**

**xx**


	33. Salvador

**So, how was Spirit Bound? Not what you expected, huh? LOL:D Same goes for me.**

**VA is not mine, and (unfortunately) the name Drake Vireo is only borrowed from an amazing book I've read, so I don't think Drake Vireo (SENIOR) is mine.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-one**

**Salvador**

"Hathaway," I said, the weather of the day not helping my mood. The summer morning was unusually dismal and dark, and the ocean and sky looked like they were about to swallow the whole cruise up in one metal bundle.

"Listen, Rose, it's Sam." The man on the phone said.

I didn't sound—or feel—too surprised. I just felt a little wonder. "Oh, hey, Sam. Why'd you call?" I was too broody to ask Sam _how_ he called me. I only guessed that they were hunter secrets.

The sound on the phone turned into static for a second or two before returning into Sam's voice. "…birthday?"

I rubbed my temple and pushed my hair back to look at my face in the mirror. I had a really big scowl on my face. I tried to erase it, but it was no use. "Could you repeat that? I didn't get it. Bad reception here in the middle of Atlantis." I joked, but my tone didn't give out anything but dull emotions.

"When was your birthday?"

I told him. "Anything else?"

"Yes, yes. Rose, listen. We found out that"—static—"crossroads near the court. Hello? Rose? Are you listening?"

"Uh, I don't know. You said something about the crossroads?" I asked, trying to make an effort into listening. I was heart-sick enough to lose interest in listening to the help I needed for my proscription—I hated myself for that. I told myself not to get too emotional on that because he just confessed that he was in love with his student, but I had some problems with my head, so could you really blame me?

"There is a crossroad across the street from the court, did you know that?" Sam asked, the sound of his voice mixed with the ear-splitting sound of static.

"No, I didn't know that? What about it?" I studied my fingernails.

"In every crossroad, there's a demon that lives there. They live there to bargain with people. Either for their souls or somebody else's."

That piqued my interest. "Did anybody bargain when you and Dean were there?"

A sigh emerged from the phone. "That's it, we couldn't pry the information out of the crossroads demon, but it only told us that the bargain of the soul was for power."

I played on my ponytail a little, letting what Sam said sink in. "What kind of power is that? Political power or magical powers?"

"Magical powers." was the answer from Sam.

I nodded in understanding, looking at myself in front of the mirror. "That's what I thought." I said and then sighed. "Did you get to ask if it was a boy or girl?"

"No. The only important thing the demon told us was that the trader wasn't human, so I assumed it was one of your friends there from the court."

"Moroi, for sure. Dhampirs are half-human and half-vampire."

"So, do you get it? Magical powers, the trader's a Moroi—that may be your enemy, Rose." said Sam, impatience leaking on his tone.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Yeah, my evil arch-enemy, gotcha. I can take care of myself around this moronic Moroi who sold their soul to hell for some freaking powers." I gave a curt good-bye, and hung up. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought at how lucky I was that I was born with powers.

"At least I don't go to hell in this stupid proscription." I grumbled when I went out of my room to the bar for a drink. I didn't know why, but I was in the mood for a drink. As if they helped me, I thought bitterly. When I was inside the bar, I grabbed a stool and switched on my brood-mode.

A pretty bartender with golden French braids asked for my drink.

"Anything that's blue." I told her. And just for the hell of it, I added, "It suits my mood."

She gave me half a smile. "And how many will that be?"

I considered saying two because it rhymed with blue, but I think it would make me look less broodsome, so I settled for "One will be enough." She gave me one last dazzling smile before she took off to make me a blue drink. I hoped she wouldn't get me sea water, even though they never really were the color blue.

The bartender got back pretty quickly with a martini glass that had a bright blue liquid in them. Well, that wasn't what I expected. She put the glass in front of me and said, "Blue Margarita. I hope you're in the legal age, I forgot to ask."

I looked at her. "Just turned eighteen a month ago." I told her and took a sip on the Blue Margarita.

She seemed convinced by that because she gave me one last smile and scurried off to tend another customer.

"Bon appétit, or whatever you say when you drink." I resisted puckering my face when I swallowed down the salt on the glass's rim.

I felt someone take the seat next to me. I also smelled the smell of the person. "It's _'buvez bien,'_ actually." he said. Drat his dragon hide.

I gulped down the rest of the blue liquid after saying "Buvez bien." I didn't look at the dragon when I asked him a typical question. "Drake Vireo, to what do I owe this pleasure of your company?"

His chest rumbled in what sounded like a chuckle. "I am here to accompany you in your—for the lack of a better word—sad hour." he answered.

I looked at him, refusing the urge to curve my lips into a smile. "If there's a happy hour in the bar, there's a sad hour, too?"

He nodded. "An oxymoron, as people like to call it." he said, and then he surprised me by adding, "Or brooding hour, if you'd like." Okay, I wasn't nearly as surprised as I was outraged. He couldn't be that intrusive as to read my mind, right?

He saw my expression, so he started to open his mouth to apologize, but I held up my hand, giving him a tight smile. "It's okay, you can't help it."

He bowed his head. "Still, I apologize. I shouldn't have been too thoughtless as to read what you are thinking when I did not have permission to do so."

My outrage dimmed, but I still kept up my glare. "I'm glad you remembered that. The next time you read my mind, dragon, I'm going to burn your scaly hide, dragon or not." I called him a dragon on purpose just to make sure that I was clear with my threats.

His eyes flashed green fire at me for a second, and then it became the cold, expressionless eyes of Drake Vireo (junior) again. "You are unusual. For the first time in my seventy years of living this planet, I have always been most charming and hot to girls." he said in that cold tone that more or less raised goose-bumps on my arms. I maintained a straight face. "Did you just say _hot_?" He looked at me like I was joking. "Most ladies in this decade call me that. I find myself obligated to tell you the truth that I _am_ called that to everywhere I go."

I choked back a laugh and shook a finger at him. "Being conceited is not my forte, but, man, you just brought me to shame." I said and lightly punched his shoulder, and then turned serious. "What are you doing here, really?"

He looked at me and his eyes looked like they were about to roll themselves if it wasn't for my no-nonsense tone.

"I am here in request of my sister, Graceling. She is unable to tell you this herself because she is serving ordeal from our father."

"Ordeal?" I asked, my protectiveness over the younger girl rising. What ordeal was Drake talking about? Is this some kind of twisted version of being grounded—dragon-wise?

Drake hastily shook his head when he saw my expression. "Your anxiety is not necessary—it is not what you think it is. She is only restricted to be out this day because she has disobeyed our father's order last night to tell you about your…uh…" For the first time, I saw Drake grope for the words that were both grammatically correct and subtle enough not to hit a soft spot on me. I was about to imply a word for him when he spoke again. If not hastily, uneasily as if he didn't know whether or not the word was right. "Your heart-failure."

That was it—I couldn't hold it anymore. I burst out laughing. The sound was very loud, and it vehemently showed (showed in a sound, if you get my drift) how—oh, I don't know—how amusing Drake's vocabulary mistakes were. I looked at his frozen face with tears leaking out the corner of my eyes. I struggled to stop bursting into fits of giggles again, and—for the hell of it all—patted Drake's cheek. "It's heart-break, honey, not heart-failure. Heart-failure's fatal meanwhile the former can only make your heart ache emotionally." I explained, and then laughed again.

When I stopped laughing, he said, "I do not know how you could laugh at this hour when I have grave news for you."

"So, stop beating around the bush, and tell me what it is!" I said in front of his face. I could still feel tears on my eyes—tears of laughter, that is.

He looked at me for a second and then told me.

I snorted. "Fat chance," I said, waving the news off. "That moronic Moroi-turned-mage can kill me however she likes, but let's just see if she'd succeed." I was being cocky now, and it was better than acting frightened or anxious.

Drake surprised me by just nodding. "For all intents and purposes, you are born immortal, so you can withstand much more abuse compared to a mortal's."

I snorted again and it wasn't a pretty sound. "I don't need any reassurance, Drake, thank you. I have complete confidence in myself." I said and made a show of dusting off infinitesimal dirt on my pants. "If you are done 'warning' me about the witch who's hell-bent on killing me, I need to go now." I stood up from my seat and left the bartender with her tips and payment for the blue drink.

"I am done telling you about the tainted mage, but Graceling had two visions. Won't you like to stay and hear the other one?" Drake said from his seat in a normal tone when I started walking away. He knew as well as what his waist-size was that I could hear him from where I was.

Reluctantly, I turned back to look at him with half-closed eyes. The arrogant dragon had a smug look on his face. Drat his dragon hide again. "Again, I say: stop beating around the bush!"

His smile brightened and the smug look increased. I wonder what he was so smug about. "Graceling told me that there is somebody waiting for you in the—_a_ place, but I _know_ full well that you have confidence in yourself. Hence, I will not tell you what it is." I gave the dragon a tight smile.

"Right. Did you know that I could just stand here and read your mind right this very second?"

He continued to smile as if I had said nothing. "You can try, but would you?"

My smile tightened even more. "Don't tempt me too much dragon. If I'd go as tantalized as you are to gold, I'd know you as much as you know yourself." If I hadn't mentioned this before, dragons just adored gold.

He grinned lazily, and that pretty much reminded me of the drunk Moroi, Adrian Ivashkov. "English is not my first language, but I know this idiom by heart: let the cat out of the bag."—he paused—"A minute, I think the cat is already out." That was the last of Drake's words before he disappeared out of thin air. Really, the first he was there, the next he wasn't. I didn't bother to mull over that, because—after all—he _was_ a dragon.

I turned back again and started run—or walk as fast as I could—to the bar's exit, but when I bumped into a lean, slightly cold body. I knew full well that I had bumped into a Moroi because of the body temperature and scent, but my vision was useless because I was closing my eyes, trying to clear off the obscuring feeling on my eyes.

"I am so sorry," I said, and I felt hands steady me as I rubbed my eyes.

"Are you okay?" The voice wasn't familiar, but the accent was. It was thick Romanian.

"Of course I am," I said and tried to laugh, but my eyes were still uncomfortable that I still had the overwhelming urge to blink—or close my eyes.

"Let me see your eyes. It is like your hair has hurt it." he said, and I felt the hands pry my hands gently off my eyes. I looked away and blinked away the pain to no avail.

"It's okay, really." He held my face in a grip that more or less said that there was no arguing him in this.

"Please, let me see your eyes, young one." he said in such a gentle tone, I had to comply with his wishes. I didn't feel awkward, but I felt, for lack of a better word, at home. It was like I had known this…_Moroi_ for years… and… I just don't know. Gentle fingers pulled my eyelids upward, and then something happened. It was like he blew on my blindly opened eyes because they felt cold for an earthly second, and then ii could see again. But now, I couldn't help but let out a sound of awe. For a moment, I thought that this man was an angel or God, but that was impossible. To all people, why would an angel—let alone God—would visit me?

The Moroi had these same timeless features as a Botticelli painting has. He didn't look old, but he didn't look young, either. His skin was Moroi pale, and his eyes were a striking color of blue, but looked like green at some angle. His hair was as dark as mine, and his other features were oh so perfect that it made me want to weep. Anyone who would think that this man didn't have looks, they were blind. This silent compliment doesn't mean that I was heart-struck by the man, but there was something about him that pulled me to him. Maybe it was the aura that he exuded, or maybe it was just plain attraction.

The thought of me being attracted to this man didn't disgust me, but it didn't feel right to me. Which was weird.

"Thank you," were the first words that came out of my mouth. He gave me a dazzling smile.

The golden aura around the crown of his head was like a halo, that I doubted if he wasn't an angel. "It is my pleasure to help a young one like you." he said, and his voice was like the most pleasant sound I have ever heard. Really, it's not just something mawkishly sentimental to say, but it was really true. "I am Salvador."

I shook off my awe, and then offered him a smile myself. Albeit, friendly and professional. "I'm Rose, and I'm sorry I bumped you."

He gave a little laugh, and shook his head at me. "No, no, it's alright. I'm quite glad that I bumped into you." he told me and inclined his head out of the bar. I didn't say anything, but just followed Salvador out of the bar and into the windy and glum day.

I heard him _tsk_, and he shook his head as if the weather had offended him. "Did you know that the weather can reflect a person's mood?" he asked me in a soft voice that was unusual for a man that had a harsh Romanian accent.

I looked up at him quizzically. "No, I didn't know that. Does it?" I asked him, but I probably knew that the answer wouldn't surprise me.

He half-way smiled. "It depends on your beliefs, Rose. If you think you have the power to do one thing, it is possible."

"Isn't that a little too egotistical?" I joked.

He didn't seem to get my joke because his face turned serious. His beautiful face was set in grim lines that I could faintly see some of his wrinkles. It indicated that he was maybe in his late thirties, but something—maybe just plain instinct—told me that he may have been here for a while. "The only people who are egotistical, Rose, are the ones who have stipulated their very essence for power that they have not possessed before and the ones who can beguile themselves into thinking that they have such."

I kind of found this conversation déjà vu-y. "Ah," I said uneasily, "I was just joking, really, Salvador."

"I know that you are." he told me, giving me a wee bit of a smile. "You are an unheard kind of species, Rosemarie." Salvador said as we swept past people. I didn't know where we were now, but it was cold and airy. He took hold of my face on both his hands. "You are one of a kind, but kismet cannot be changed." Suddenly, I didn't feel too comfortable with him now as I had been before.

"What do you mean? Who are you?" His aura took a blinding state, making me want to squint at him. "_What_ are you?" I asked, and I swear that my voice echoed around me.

"Seek thee confidant, child." was all he said when he raised his two fingers to touch my forehead. For a moment, I swear I heard angels singing and then his aura turned into a brilliant white light, blinding me until I couldn't see anything at all. Or feel anything.

"Rose?" a voice called. I could vaguely remember that I have heard this voice before, but I couldn't really point out whose it was. Slowly, my senses came back. I still couldn't see anything, and I was about to ask why I couldn't see before I concluded that I must have had my eyes closed. In a painfully slow manner, I peeled my lids open. My vision was still blurred and hazy like I had been asleep, but I wasn't. I was with Salvador, and then he…well, he did something. Something I couldn't really remember clearly this moment. From my peripheral—if blurred—vision, I could make out brown…um…hair? And two dark things surrounded with round things shaped like almonds or whatnot. And then I could make out something more logical. I resisted the overwhelming urge to slap my forehead.

_It's a face, you moron_, I told myself. Right, it was a face, but whose was it? I didn't voice out my question, in fear bad breath since my mouth was so dry.

"Rose?" the person—_guy_—asked in front of me. I felt something shake my shoulders and grip them. "_Roza_,"

Oh, well…dammit. I tried to blink back my vision and, successfully, it slowly came back to me. I mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

Dimitri's face settled in front of me with a disconcerting expression of concern on his gorgeous face. "Rose, you've been standing there for quite a while. Are you alright?" he asked me.

Gosh he was concerned! To hell with it!

_Seek thee confidant_, the words repeated inside my head. 

_No way_, I thought. It couldn't be. Salvador couldn't be saying that Dimitri was my confidant—he was just a weird Moroi I met who happened to know what was going on with my screwed-up life. Okay, maybe I should admit I felt that Salvador wasn't only a Moroi…but, okay! I don't know what he was! Sheesh! Give the woman a break, I have been through a lot, and you all know how my thoughts go all a-mess when I get in these situations.

So, instead of letting Dimitri there interrogate how I was feeling, I asked, "You're in love with your student?" I should say, the statement was pretty suspicious even now.

If Dimitri had his emotions in check, I could have still read his embarrassment there. It was just a teenie-tiny bit of emotion, though, hardly seen. Behind that chagrin was sorrow, too. I wondered what that was all about.

"Rose," he said, and then traced something from my cheek. There wasn't anything on his finger, so I figured he was stroking it.

"In love with your student," I prompted kind of impatiently.

He looked at me then. His emotions blazed as bright as Salvador's aura. "Yes." he said. "I'm in love with my student." he told me, looking at me dead-straight in the eyes.

I told my heart to get a life when quickened at Dimitri's words. It was too soon to be celebrating. "Is that student me?" I asked him in a small-ish voice.

His eyes grew weary for a second. "A part of you, _Roza_." he said.

I froze. "Part?" It was the root word.

He smiled at me, but it wasn't a happy kind of smile. "The part of _Roza_ that I loved is her being my student, but…" he trailed off.

The suspense was killing me. If he won't tell me now—somebody would better smite me now before I commit suicide. Or rather just hurt myself. An immortal can't kill oneself, I have learned. Except when they're not sun-proof. "Tell me," I started, "What's the other part of me?"

"The Slayer part, Rose. I don't know what to do knowing that the one I love is my alleged rival."

My jaw slackened, and then I was out. Not really, no, but it was close to that. 

_Confidant_, I thought. _Sought_.

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**Thanks for reading, and leave a REVIEW. **

**Love lots, **

**Kate :D **

**xx **

**And BTW: Forgive me for misspellings or grammar mistakes, it's midnight here in my place, so I can't really check them right now, and I wanted to UD as soon as I could.**


	34. Tug of War

**Sorry that it took me so long to update, but I'm trying my best to update as soon as I could in my hectic schedule. Hope y'all understand.**

**Enjoy the chapter. :D**

**Chapter Thirty-two**

**Tug of War  
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_Ooh Baby I love your way  
Everyday, yeah yeah_

It's unfair, really. The legendary Bob Marley _loves_ his baby's way (whoever his baby _was_). He wants to be with her night and day, yadda yadda yadda. It was the total opposite to mine, but I didn't give _any_ damn about it. Dimitri, after his brief but blunt revelation that he knew about me, had walked away with a dark cloud above his head. He hadn't explained more, and I was more or less left there at the railing, staring after him numbly. I don't know what Bob Marley's types of girls were, but I was quite sure that they weren't the supernatural type, unlike me. Poor me, but it was Dimitri's loss, not mine. Well, I'd like to see it as that, but to be frank; I don't really know whose loss and/or gain it was. It probably was anybody's or my arch-enemy mage, the famed she-witch Moroi. Guess who?

Anyway, other than those crazy stuffs going up and about in my life, I was having fun. At least, for tonight. In Adrian's bar (I should have known that he owned the bar the first time I knew that he was an alcoholic), there was some party going on. The music was all reggae, as I could hear, and the disco lights were all red, yellow, and green (with the exception of black, of course. Were there black lights?).

It was some crazy guy's party, the theme was Rasta, and some of the people (Moroi, humans, dhampirs, take your pick) had dreadlocks. I didn't care enough to check whether they were real hair, or just some unruly wig wannabes wore. This Rasta party was—I'd admit—totally out of my league, but, hey, a girl's gotta have fun. That was the first reason I wanted to be here, and the second was just shocking, so I'm not going to blurt it all out right now. I had a third reason, too, and it was to avoid everything that hits my soft spot, so here I was, sitting in the bar sipping on the drink that was called "Sex on the Beach"—no shit. It wasn't particularly sweet, but it wasn't stale, either. It was _good_.

Also, if you were wondering, Mia and Lissa were with me. I didn't have the guts to kick them out on my adventure tonight, even though they were the ones who had told me that there was a party tonight. There were wearing mini dresses that blended in with the whole Rasta theme inside the bar. Oddly enough, I was wearing a rather conservative paisley scarf dress that ended just an inch above my knee, and flats that opposed to the clunky shoes and heels the crowd wore. I felt short, but there were exceptions of people still short when they're wearing heels themselves. Like girls who were five foot nothing, like Mia. She was wearing four-inch heels, yet I was taller than her. It wasn't disconcerting, but it felt good to feel that you were really hanging out with a sixteen year-old and not a kid that wants kiddy-meals every time they go to McDonald's.

I was average height, closing off to five-foot-seven, and I wasn't really big-boned, though I had a body femme fatale. Or so they said.

As I was having my mental babble, I hadn't noticed that the bartender with French braids had stood in front of me to get me another drink. She was not as cheery as before, but she didn't look like she was sulking, either. I considered storming into her thoughts, but that wouldn't be appropriate, so I asked her as gently as I could.

"Anything wrong?"

I must have looked expectant and made my sentence trail off, because she answered, "Tucan,"

I gave her a questioning look. "Tucan?" I asked, trying to raise one brow up.

She nodded at me with a serious face. "My name is Tucan." she told me, no hint of humor on her pretty face. I must have looked disbelieving, because she added, "It's short for something." and I was quite sure she wasn't going to tell me what "Tucan" was short for.

"Okay…" with that, I had nothing to say anymore. I was a bit side-tracked about her name. I assumed that she was only half-sulking about her name being printed on a metal name tag while. Yeah, maybe that was her problem. I ordered a round of my favorite drink and told her, "I like your name." I must have sounded (and looked) sincere because her sour mood ended, and then she trotted off to make me my drink.

A chair leg scraped, and I felt somebody sit next to me. "Hey, there. Are you—"

I waved my hand to his face, clearly ending what he was supposed to say, without looking at him. I knew from the smell of him that he was smoking pot. Just like his idol or whoever that smoked pot and liked girls. "Not interested." I said, adding a little mid push for him to go away and leave me alone. Evidently, it worked very well. He walked away, bumping on people on his way, without saying anything.

Tucan came back with my drink, and told me that she'd pay for it. She was real gullible for her to believe that I was telling the truth about her name. Or maybe my lying skills were improving. I didn't know which, but I could care less.

I listened as Bob Marley's voice faded into nothing, and then a new song started. I noticed for a first that it was Colbie Caillat's voice singing that she can't get out of various things because she was still recovering. It, too, was reggae. Or rather it was the reggae version. People were dancing everywhere, and

For the umpteenth time of the night, the leg of the stool beside me scraped, but it was the first time that I had noticed the scent of who sat next to me. The famous Moroi drunkard, Adrian Ivashkov. He smelled of…well, alcohol. Mixed, albeit.

"Little Dhampir, how come you haven't dressed for the occasion. I would have been glad if you'd dressed something a bit more…revealing. But you still look as dazzling as the north star." he said, inching closer to me.

I rolled my eyes to look at him. As always, he looked like the gorgeous drunk Moroi he was. He would have smelled better if he hadn't showered in days compared to his intoxicating smell of mixed alcohols by now. "Seriously, Adrian, lay off the skunk perfume, it's not good for the ladies you sleep with." I said and started to stand up, leaving my drink half-drunk, but I was stopped by another scent. Or rather _presence_. A _scaly_ presence.

I looked up from where I was and saw those dark green eyes with those eccentric pupils. His neat shoulder-length curly blond hair was unusually unruly, but I guessed it was for the unruly-hair-night shindig. I was glad he hadn't dreadlocked his hair because it wouldn't have looked so good.

"Little Dhampir, why are you always running away from me? This is my cruise, and you are in it—you must know full well that you can run from me, but you cannot hide." Adrian said, and wrapped his arm around my waist like Drake wasn't in front of us. I wasn't sure what Adrian was going to do next, but I was sure he was going to pass out any second.

Drake stared more at me and then a second later, he was grabbing my hand, saying, "Rose, you must—"

"Oh, who's this, Little Dhampir?" Bless Adrian and his drunk heart.

I looked at Adrian with a little relief. "Adrian, Drake. Drake, Adrian." I said curtly.

The guys nodded at each other and I could feel the air crackle with testosterone. Even though Adrian was drunk, he knew when to intrude if a girl— or simply I—don't/doesn't want to go with another guy. I couldn't see what Drake saw in Adrian, but he registered his politeness. Dragons are like that.

"You must be Tatiana's great-nephew, Adrian Ivashkov." said Drake in a, more or less, bored tone.

Adrian did an elegant and graceful bow. That surprised me, considering he was drunk and all. "Yes, I am the acclaimed Lord Adrian Ivashkov, one and only great-nephew of the Moroi Queen, Tatiana Ivashkov." He straightened from his bow, and looked at Drake (who was an inch shorter than him) up and down. Adrian had that look on his face that said that he was checking out somebody's aura, but he was drunker than drunk now, so I doubt he could. "I assume you are one of our special guests?" Adrian asked when he looked back at Drake's face. Adrian still had his arm around me, and I started pinching him. Along with his powers, Adrian's sense of pain was numb also.

Drake made a show of dipping his head in a way that reminded me of the earlier years. "Yes, I am. I am here with my family, the Vireos." That was all Drake said before he pulled my hand, effectively pulling me out of Adrian's possessive embrace. Drake would have had the power to drag me out if I was a normal dhampir or Moroi or even a human, but I was none of the above. I was, I knew, stronger than him. I skidded to a halt before I could take three steps away from Adrian. Drake didn't look back from me, but he pulled my hand hard. I could see his broad shoulders go up and down for a second, and then pulled, but when I wouldn't move an inch, he looked back, a nonplussed look passing by his face for only half a second before it returned to being the bored but handsome face of the green dragon, Drake Vireo.

I was aware that another song had started, and it first sounded like croaking frogs, but when the lyrics was sung, I already knew what the song was. It was Rihanna and Ne-Yo's song, Hate That I Love You reggae mix. They DJ here seriously picked out remakes of famous songs.

"Rose, you have to—" he started, but I cut him off.

"No, thanks, Drakeling, but I can take care of myself with the…" I mimed popping a rabbit out of an invisible hat.

Drake still look bored. I was only half-aware that Adrian was shuffling to us now. I could feel (despite the drunk thoughts) that Adrian was about to defend me whenever Drake makes a move that would upset me. I felt a little warm at Adrian's gallantry, but I didn't have the enthusiasm to have it warm me deep into my heart. My heart was left cold when Dimitri had walked away when he told me he knew who and what I was. It felt like my heart had been torn away slowly in every step he took back then, but _that_ was the past. It's incredible how time flies when you feel nothing at all.

I looked at Drake intently, making him see that this was not the time for troubles about his sister's premonitions. "I'm fine," I told him firmly.

He looked dignified. "You will be fine if you are forewarned about the…" he copied my mimes. He bent down to level his eyes on mine, and then his mind brushed mine, but it was different this time. He wasn't invading my thoughts, but he was sending me a message. Like telepathy.

_She's com_—_La-la-la-la-la_! I closed off my mind from his by making noises inside my head.

Irritation crossed his face, and then he grabbed my wrist, but before we could take a step, Adrian was there, holding my other hand in a less drunk way. He looked a bit sober now, but he still smelled like he had bathed in vodka, whiskey, and sherry mixed together.

"Don't you touch her." Adrian growled. Really growled. Maybe he had help with his drinks to growl—your throat would be hoarse after drinking too much, right?

Drake transferred his green-eyed glare to the Moroi who was protecting me. Or rather,_ thought_ he was protecting me. I was no damsel in distress, so I would have stopped this nonsense crap, but I was amused seeing Drake this close to being angry. It was almost satisfying seeing him…_crap_. This was the effect proscription had on me. The proscription feeds on negative emotions. This was _bad_. And then my powers would be stripped away from me, which would be double bad, because I had nothing to defend myself against my arch-enemy.

I had a crazy second of thinking that the guys would get down and fight until death for my love, but the thought was beyond ridiculous. And petty—don't forget petty!

Drake's face turned from irritated to bored again. "If you would kindly let go of my mate's hand—"

I looked at Drake sharply. "I'm your _what_?"

His eyes fixed on Adrian. "—I would appreciate it." he finished as if he hadn't heard me speak.

Adrian's sober face turned drunk again, and I could really see that he would pass out any second. _Really_ pass out. His eyes started to roll back, but he blinked them back and straightened his posture. "Let go of Rose." Adrian said with finality.

"I will not, unless she—"

"Hey, Rose!" I heard a familiar voice call. I searched the crowd and found a familiar face in the crowd of black, red, yellow, green and dreadlocks. Mason was there, his gang, Lissa and Mia in tow with him. Lissa and Mia's face grew speculative for a second, but then they were smiling at me, clearly happy that I was the rope in the Rose Tug of War.

Mason's eyes grew wide when he saw the two guys with me, and then he was marching down to us.

"Help me," I pleaded to Mason with my goo-goo eyes.

If Mason was surprised to see me pleading with him, he didn't show it. Mason was six-foot-nothing, but he had muscles. He wasn't as tall as the two, but Mason was quite a sight with his build.

He looked at Adrian, and then to Drake, and then to my two hands that were clasped into two boys' hands.

"They're breaking my bones," I told Mason with a voice that all said I was quite q pity.

He looked at me, and then to the guys. "Let her go, please." His tone was hard, similar to his expression.

Neither men spoke, but there was an uncomfortable silence. Until Stas shuffled into view.

He raised his brows at me. "Three of them wanting you by themselves? Hard not to." he asked me, and then winked, strolling off with his date. Huh, I never knew that he was interested in other girls. Oh, well.

There was a collecting of breaths before "Let her go" was said by the three guys simultaneously. The three of them didn't show any indication that they had said the same words at the same time.

"She's _mine_," Drake growled at the two men, making his eyes brighter than it already was. His pupils had elongated, making him look scary. As instantly as his words were spat out, I was enraged.

"_Nobody_ owns me." I growled back at Drake. He looked at me and I swore he snarled at me, complete with the teeth, scary face, and sound.

The animal in me wanted to snarl back again, because such an act would be unacceptable to my good deeds. I kept my mouth shut, my hands heated against both Adrian and Drake's hands. It was like both a miracle and bad luck had happened at the same time when a second passed.

I was blind enough not to notice that a crowd had gathered to look at us, and believe it or not, I was the center of attention. I hated it. I pulled my hands away from the two guys' grasps, hard. They looked surprised for a second. Drake staggered a step toward me, and the regained his posture, giving me a hard glare on the way. Adrian was another story, though. I think that he couldn't take it anymore because he was lying on the floor in a snap.

"The night's still young! He can't be that drunk!" Somebody in the crowd bellowed, but I didn't take notice. My concentration was on the man approaching our little crowd. It was hard not to notice a guy that big and tall in a crowd, I thought. Drake noticed that too, because he cast me s side-long glance and the disappeared into the sea of Rasta. Curse his dragon hide. If I was a witch, I would.

Trying to distract myself, I pulled the unconscious Adrian to his feet, and laid him on a booth that was cleared out for him. He didn't weigh anything to me, but I had to let Mason and Eddie help me because they might suspect that I wasn't what I said I was. And if they'd find out, they would turn their backs on me like Dimitri did. When Adrian was laying on the too-small booth, I reluctantly turned back to look at my _comrade_.

I crossed my arms over my chest. I thought of saying something rude like, "What the heck are _you_ doing here, _carbon_?" but there were reasons why I didn't. First, I couldn't bring myself to say it because I was tongue-tied, and two, because my Spanish would sound like nail against board. So, I just settled for a glare.

"Dimitri," some greeted. It was only by caution that we were to call Guardians by name when we were in public. What would we say if a human would ask why we were calling him or her a guardian?

Dimitri nodded at who greeted him, and then turned to look at me. "Rose, can I have a minute with you?" he asked me, uncertainty lacing his accent like velvet. It was_ delicious_. Stop it! Goddammit! Uncertainty is a feeling—not food!

With my thoughts and feelings in a snarl, I couldn't think about what Dimitri would say to me now, so I settled with, "I'm sorry, I don't have a minute." and then made a dramatic exit. I should have been awarded by that. My exit didn't have any obstacles, but when I was at the opened double doors, I had a strong urge to look back. I shook my head mentally, and looked back, only to see a guy with an oversized Bob Marley shirt, and baggy pants and dreadlocks waving at me. If it hadn't been for his eyes, I wouldn't have noticed him.

His eyes were the color of the sea. Sometimes blue, sometimes green.

Salvador.

I didn't know why, but I felt something in my gut that this night wouldn't go as smoothly as I would expect.

That was why I found myself back in my room in the cruise, brushing my hair in front of the mirror. Nobody had tried to follow me, which was a real good thing because this night—I have been forewarned—was a dangerous night to have company with.

I was expecting a visitor.

I looked at the fallen hairs on my brush and plucked them away. When I looked back at the mirror, I could already see those amber eyes that bore into mine like drills.

I put down my brush and crossed my legs, looking at ease, despite her presence.

"I thought it would be you." I said, looking at her through the mirror.

She was a very pretty girl, but it was just wasted because of her tainted soul and body. Before I knew I was proscribed, I had felt that her soul was already tainted. It was hell for her in the next month.

She smiled, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

I twirled a lock of my hair absently. "What are you going to do?" I asked her nonchalantly.

Her smile widened and it was a wonder why the mirror didn't break. From my sight in the mirror, her teeth weren't the perfect tooth-paste white anymore. It was more of a disgusting hue of yellow. Her fangs looked like they had been broken by pliers. She looked less pretty now.

"Just watch." she said in a guttural voice.

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**Oh, cliffie! Who do you think the she-witch was?**

**Leave me a REVIEW, please.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate LD**

**xx**

**P.S. Mind my grammar and typos. It's 10 PM here in our place, and my mom's grounding me if I won't stop this now.**


	35. Sea of Chainsaws

**Be warned: This chapter might have some disturbing parts. Don't forget that I warned you.**

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**Chapter Thirty-three**

**Sea of Chainsaws**

Katrina "Kathy" Lesdaux was, in fact, my Moroi-turned-mage arch-enemy. If you'd asked me about half a month ago about her, I would just say that she was merely a nuisance in my life. But now? I didn't exactly know what she'd become.

Just a fraction of a second too late, Kathy held up her hands, a green ball of energy crackling in the middle of her hands, before I put a binding spell on her. I wasn't really good at binding spells, because I never had a chance to use it when I started slaying. It wasn't so much of a use, considering that I had speed and agility that could put everything tech-savvy to shame.

I could see that my binding spell took Kathy by surprise because her amber eyes widened. The puke-green ball of energy in her hands shrunk and imploded into nothing. I stood up from my seat, circling her motionless body.

"So, it's not only me who took that bargain." A strong binding spell would have shut her mouth up, but mine wasn't as strong as I had wanted it to be.

Normally, I would have defended my powers, saying that I hadn't bargained this for my soul, but what would I say? Tell her I'm the Slayer? That wasn't an option. Even though a handful of my friends knew what and who I was, I wasn't going to take the risk. Instead of answering Kathy, I continued to circle her, catching her unblinking gaze with mine.

Something was there in her eyes that I couldn't point out. Amusement? Glee? Hatred? Mischief? Or just plain cruelty? I didn't know why Kathy had become such a vile creature, but, hey, she made a deal with a demon which meant she was close to being one. Or maybe even worse.

As I evaluated what I needed to do, Kathy kept up her pep talk. "You think you can stop me?" A laugh echoed inside my room. "_Me?_ For God's sake, Rose, you _think_ you—a dhampir with a spell—can hurt a powerful witch like _moi_?" Kathy's voice changed something deeper and more guttural. She laughed, and the sound reminded me of some movies I've watched when somebody gets possessed by a demon or whatnot.

Kathy's eyes were like drills, digging up holes in my mind, trying to shove inside my head. I could almost feel her poking and prodding around, trying to find any weak spots. I did the same to her, too. If she wanted to play—I'll play. If she wanted a war…well, that was the question. Did she?

As if she read my mind, Kathy said, "This is war, Hathaway. And I'm going to win it." Just a second after she finished, she moved lightning fast, raising her hands as if to chop me into half with an invisible weapon. Even though there was no weapon in sight, I moved away, rolling to my sides fast before I heard an ear-splitting noise of mirrors and wood breaking.

Kathy's deep voice laughed again, and it sounded like she was having fun.

I took a crouching stand just five feet away from where she was swinging her hands from her sides. Her face was filled with glee, a smile on her face. It wasn't a pretty sight to look at. I could see that she had chopped the vanity table into half and she was looking at her reflection on the other standing half. She flipped back her hair and posed, her head bobbing toward me in a motion that wasn't normal. Her smile widened.

"So pretty," she said, and then turned toward me, ready to throw that ugly green ball of energy toward me, but I was prepared. I back-fired her ball to herself. It hit her, and she flew back and hit the wall with a loud sound, fell down, butt-first. She laughed again; the sound of it wanted me to grit my teeth together. It took me time to realize that she was enjoying this. Enjoying the pain. A sign that she wasn't…_normal_.

"This is _so_ fun." Kathy mumbled, and stood from where she was in a motion that wasn't quite right. No, everything in her wasn't right. I didn't give Kathy time throw back something at me. I gathered up my strength, and launched toward her as fast as I could and hit her in an uppercut that would have broke normal people's necks. In Kathy's situation, her head just snapped up with a crack, and then she pushed it back down, her face both a terrible and beautiful sight.

Kathy's face wasn't her normal pale, it was now tinged with green and blue—the veins on her face showing in tiny not-so faint lines. Her teeth were now a brownish-yellow, and her incisors were cut broken. Her neck was a little twisted, practically informing me that it _was_ broken. But Kathy still walked. And talked. _A lot_. Only her eyes stayed the way it was, the sunny color of amber—almost gold.

"When did you learn to do that?" she asked, her tone and expression sickly amused and intrigued.

"From a demon," I lied smoothly, backing away from her.

A deep chuckled erupted from her. "Like _I_ would believe that." She snorted. Her eyes told me everything that I suspected. She knew what I was, and she was taunting me.

I changed the subject, knowing that it wouldn't go the right way as I had hoped. "Why, Kathy?"

Her eyes shut partially; the look she gave me brought goose-bumps on my arms. "Hmm? Why what?"

"Why sell your soul to a demon for powers?"

A slow, yellow smile crept up to her lips before she let out a growl deep within her throat. "Can't you guess?" It came out as a deep growl. I waited for her to answer. She stepped toward me, I backed away. "It's because of you. _It's all your_ _fault_."

I ignored what she said, not knowing what she meant about "my fault." "You bargained your soul to hell for powers, Kathy. Why?"

The smile disappeared; the words were spoken inside my head. "_I'd pay hell—literally—just to make you suffer like I did."_

That was all it took Kathy to keep me still for a moment, before bashing me with a green and utterly ugly force. I could smell the evil in it, like dead bodies decomposing and rancid vegetables. Kathy's force was strong enough to knock me back, colliding with the wall, but I was ready for the impact by then. I twisted in the air, landing on the wall on all fours, and then I pushed my whole body, the momentum sailing me into the air. I stretched my hands in front of me, ready to grab Kathy. A flash of surprise crossed her face, but there was no shock or horror or whatever. I took hold of her neck, and sent her careening back to the wall with me pinning her.

I squeezed her neck to cut off her air, but it didn't do anything to weaken Kathy. The veins on her face seemed to grow bigger, and her face going blue. She looked at me with laughing amber eyes.

"You can't kill me." she snarled, flashing her teeth. She didn't look amused now, I could see the glowing hatred and anger in her eyes. "_No one can kill me_." the words were only inside my head, but the message was pretty clear. The malice in her tone, it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A little part of me was saying that maybe Kathy was right—that no one can kill her. That she wasn't Kathy anymore. That maybe her wish wasn't just for powers.

I wouldn't admit how the last part disturbed me, I _am_ the Slayer, and I _am_ fearless _and_ ruthless. I squeezed her throat as she thrashed, clawing at my arms. I squeezed tightly, the result to this would have been an implosion of the brain, sending everything in her mind blank, but it looked like Kathy was (now) made of sterner stuff. This would have been a cleaner kill for her, but it just wasn't possible now.

Her French-tipped nails turned into ugly talons, and she tried to scratch my eyes out with it. I held my face out of reach before I caught her wrists and snapped them broken. Kathy's guttural voice screamed, the sound cracking the lovely china vase that held a bunch of red roses from an anonymous somebody.

All of a sudden, I let go of Kathy's arms as my legs gave out, because of the flowing shockwave of electricity from her skin. Kathy slumped on the floor, too, an ugly smile lighting her face. Her arms were dangling in an unnatural form on her lap, and her neck was even worse than before. Kathy laughed again, and in a move too fast for me to anticipate, she raised her right hand and with that, I flew again, but this time, I came in unprepared. I lay on a heap on the floor, gathering my bearings before Kathy could do anything.

I stood up and the first thing that came out of my mouth was "bitch." Good thing, though. Provocation was one of the ways to weaken an opponent.

She snarled and lunged at me. I dodged her and gave her head a swift, hard kick that I learned from sensei and years of practice. And then there, Kathy lay on the floor, eyes closed and jaw locked as if waiting for another blow. I didn't give any mercy—this was who I was, the Slayer. Ruthless and fearless. I didn't give any second chances, no matter who the person was. No matter _what_ the person was. _Nobody_ messes with me.

It seemed like Kathy had given up, but it felt too…too early for that. Surely, she couldn't give up this easily? I scanned her body, but it didn't look harmful. I crouched next to Kathy's unmoving body and took her face in my hand, facing her to me. She didn't say anything. I shook her face.

"Kathy," just that word, her eyes flew open. She grinned. The whites on her eyes were streaked with red now, and it was hard not to flinch away from her. Now, she really looked terrifying. No more pretty Kathy Lesdaux.

"Yes?" Her breath smelled bad. I held my breath. Her grin widened. "Rose," she said tauntingly. Her face seemed too near for my taste, so I backed away. Her laugh stopped me in my place. It sent chills down my spine and I knew that I didn't want to hear what she would say next. "Scared, Rose?" she laughed again, and then fingered at her neck, _tsk_ing when she found the spot where the bones were broken. She gave me a daring glance. "Won't you finish me off?" she asked me. When I didn't answer, she shook her head, chuckling. "You _are_ scared! Oh. My. God. What now? You're going to run to your mommy? Cry and tell her that an evil witch is on hunt to kill you? Oh, wait, you _don't_ have a mommy!" A mocking laugh. "Is your mommy dead, Rose?"

I glared at her, my palms heating in anger. She should never have mentioned my mom. She had no right to.

"You can ask me that question, Rose. Ask me if your mom is dead or not. Come on, ask me! I can answer your questions!" It was obvious that Kathy was taunting me, but, somehow, I could feel my curiosity rising. And the anger at myself for falling into Kathy's traps.

I threw Kathy across the room, making a picture frame fall from the wall. Kathy's laugh erupted again, and the sound was uglier than I had imagined. "Your _mom_…is…" Kathy started, but I was there, holding her upright by the neck.

Rage built up inside me like a volcano ready to erupt. "Don't add her into this, Lesdaux or—"

She cut me short. "Or else what?" she asked, mocking.

I banged her head again. She closed her eyes and let out a strained smile. "Ouch. You don't need to do that. All you need is to ask. Okay, about your mom—" she wheezed.

That was all it took for me to lose it. I screamed and threw Kathy, seeing red, kicked her in the gut. She didn't scream in pain, but just laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

"_See what your pent-up anger does to you? You don't think human. You're not human, Rose. You never were. You're like me now. Like your mom. Like your—"_

I cut her mental voice off, with a mental shove. Anger boiled up inside me like an endless stream. I spat "Fuck you, bitch" at her before I dragged her outside of my room, putting on the physical shield so nobody could see or hear us. Fortunately, there was nobody outside, but I didn't take the chance. The way I dragged her by her wig would have been funny, but I was too cold to find anything amusing now. All I cared about was the death of this _woman_. I _hated _her. I _loathed_ her. I wanted to drop her into a sea of chainsaws and look at how her body would be amputated. But now, there weren't any chainsaws, just the sea. I set her on the railing, she still laughed. Her skin looked deathly blue under a light. The clothes that hugged her like second skin made her look like she was shivering from the cold, but she was just laughing.

"You can't get rid of me, bitch!" she howled, and then continued to laugh.

I smiled, and then felt a tug of my conscience. I squelched that part of me, and then said, "Any last words, Lesdaux?" There was no inflection in my voice.

Kathy contained her laughter and looked at me. "Say hi to your mom for me."

That was it. I didn't know if this person speaking was even Kathy anymore. With forced will, I pushed her off the railing, her laugh and her scream of "kowabunga" echoing as the dark sea swallowed her form.

"See you in hell." I said before closing my door behind the rainy weather.

***An hour later***

It was hard not to think about what Kathy had said about my mom. _And _it was hard not to think that I had just killed somebody. Even though Kathy wasn't herself anymore, I still felt guilty to having killed a person that was not a Strigoi—arch-enemy or not. I knew that Kathy was a bitch, but she didn't deserve to die that way. Fell—dropped on purpose into the sea, and probably got eaten by some hungry sharks. That was a real brutal death, and worse, it was in my hands.

As I fixed up my room, I kept thinking how I would feel if it was me who was thrown off the cruise, and into the sea where sharks would be waiting for anything meaty to chomp on. Of course, I would feel angry at the person who did it or even the world, but that's just stating the obvious and the answer of a sane person. Kathy, I told myself, was _not_ anywhere near human (or sane) anymore, so she had to be rid of. Who knows what Kathy will do if she was to be let lose in a huge cruise with homicidal powers of a witch.

But that was just one side of the situation. I had a room to fix. I wasn't quite sure if the room _could_ be fixed, but I tried my best to pick up the pieces of glasses from the floor. One good thing about being a telekinetic was that you could move things with you mind, but after my brawl with the she-witch Kathy, I was drained physically, mentally, and even emotionally. I wanted so bad to lie in bed and never wake up again, but reality had another thing in mind.

Rubbing my face to keep the drowsiness off, I bent and picked up the glass from the floor. And then dropped it. The glass was about half the size of my fist, and I, unfortunately, caught hold of the sharp edge of it.

"Fuck!" I swore, and looked at my palm where a short, but wide gash was. My blood, normally a dark red, was darker than usual, but maybe I was being delusional from the trauma. I gave a mental snort, and then repeated inside my head: _Trauma? What trauma?_

God, maybe I _was_ traumatized—talking to myself. Maybe I was mad; I just imagined that Kathy had been here to give me a medieval-ish ordeal, and I just broke these stuffs to myself. Yes? No? Maybe? I didn't know the answer, but the faint stings on the arms reminded me that she _really_ had been in here. I was a fast healer, so I didn't really need some busty nurse's medical attention. Or any shaman healing if there was even one.

At the mention of healing, I wondered how well it would go if there was an element for Moroi to heal. I quickly shoved the thought away before I could think that the world could be a better place if there were willing-to-help healers in the world. _Not_.

Healing wasn't anything superficial in my case, but I could feel my ambiguity on such a thing. Healing just wasn't possible. I just happened to discover that there were demons, and ghosts, and weird hunters lurking around the place, unnoticed, but—healing? No one—not _anyone_—can play God. Not even me, the Slayer, even though my intentions were not-so purely selfish.

After I had cleaned up the floor from all the smithereenic mess of glasses, I gathered up my strength again to just put the vanity table back together. But when I was facing the whole-half part of the mirror on the table, I froze.

There was a message on the mirror, the words leaking the most horror from me rather than what was the substance used to write on the mirror. It was clearly blood, and I didn't know whose—or what—it was. It smelled fresh, and I knew that if I was in full strength, I would have felt the faintest trace of warmth from the blood. The words dripped red on the mirror, adding the gore with my reflection—blood-streaked body and blood-shot eyes.

_You think you can get rid of me that easily, can't you? Think again._

_P.S. Your mommy sends her love.  
_

_xo_

_K_

_

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**Mysterious and quite scary. :-/**

**Please leave a review, and I'll update soon. :D**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**


	36. Truth Be Told

**I am doubly sorry for the very late update, guys, but school (as usual) has been a bitch. My mom restricts me from using my laptop on weekdays, and as you probably know, I can't update without it. From now, on, I'll be updating once (or twice, at most) a week, just like I did before. I will do my best to update as often as I can, but being in junior high is not easy when you have something else to think about. I HOPE y'all understand my dilemma here.**

**Anyways, enjoy the chapter. (I know it's short, so sue me.)**

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**Chapter Thirty-four**

**Truth Be Told**

It wasn't until a few hours later that Lissa and Mia decided to crash in my already-crashed room. And—I don't know why—with a half-drunk, and half-sober Adrian in tow. I had already cleaned up most of my room, but it was still visibly wrecked. (I had wiped away Kathy's atrocious _I'm still here_ message on the mirror, and had thrown away about half the stuff in the room.) Or as they would say in the some part in a country I know: _Giagian ug bagyo_. In English, it literally meant "passed by a storm" but it was just the dialect's expression of saying that one place was a total catastrophe. Per se, my room looked bad. Very.

For once, I considered letting the beans spill on purpose, but the look on Mia and Lissa's faces told me that (maybe) telling them about the whole damn truth wouldn't be so necessary.

_They already know_, was the whisper inside my head. I momentarily felt guilty for keeping such a thing from them, but I took comfort from my reason as to why I kept it from them in the first place.

"I—" I stopped, as Mia held up her hand. I was supposed to say: _I know what you're going to say and how you'll feel, but please do understand that I did it to keep all your pretty white asses safe._ Dignity and spunk was never a good combo for the Slayer, but it was for Rose Hathaway. Dignity and spunk, too, were the best combo if you didn't want any of your friend(s) mad at you for the moment, but in my case, it was a lose-lose situation. Mia—even my (note the possessive pronoun) dainty Lissa—looked grimly serious.

"Save it." snapped Mia.

I clenched my jaw to stop a come-back, and invited them in. _Integrity is the treasure to one's soul,_ as my sensei would likely say to me if I behave _not so nicely_. Mia entered silently, but there was an air of importance and dignity, with Lissa and a leery Ivashkov heir flanking. Mia whirled back to look at me almost dramatically. Her porcelain doll features were contorted in expressions that I couldn't decipher—or even begin to understand. Behind her, Lissa was looking at me in a way that almost made my resolve waver, and Adrian just looked—I dunno—gleeful, I guess, if you consider being half-drunk with both caffeine and alcohol was the effect.

"A little birdie told me you threw off a murderous witch off the ship before she could mess with your mind by means of your _mother_." Sarcasm, sarcasm, Mia, didn't anyone tell you not to be so bold to the famed Slayer?

What Mia said wasn't what I expected, but I _knew_ that I should have expected this one. Although what Mia and Lissa felt were reasonable, I still felt angry. Either to myself, them, to Kathy, or to the little birdie, namely Drake or Graceling.

My words came out hard and clipped. "I'm sorry, but it was just for the best."

Mia snorted a loud, frustrated sound. "I thought we—Lissa and I—were your _friends_!" she practically roared the last word, her face flushed in anger. "Rose," said Mia, a hint of exasperation in her tone. "I thought we have been through this. You _need_ to trust us. We're best of friends, and they help—or just try to!—if their friend is in trouble! What you did—"

"Was necessary, for the time being." I cut-off, my words still clipped. I ignored Adrian, and looked at Mia and Lissa, back and forth. "You have to understand that there are some things that I can't tell you. Ever." The words came out as a weary whisper, but I was sure they could hear it.

It was Lissa's time to say something. "We could've helped, Rose, even if—"

"Can't you see?" I wasn't proud at how desperate I sounded, but it would help them understand why I did what I did. "That's why I didn't tell you! The situation meant life or death—you would've came in here to _try_ to bust me out of this mess, but look at me." I gestured to myself, eyes blood-shot and clothes soaked with blood (the wounds already healed on their own, but the small crescent cuts Kathy made on my arm were still there, albeit faint). Then, I gestured to my room. "Look at the room. I could have avoided making such a wreck, because I'm the damned Slayer!"

I took a deep, calming breath and leaned back on the wall. It was like the world was swaying, and the world's problems were weighing down on my shoulders. My legs nearly gave out, but I held on to them. "I'm the damned Slayer." I repeated. "And I can't even stop her." A sob, and then the most embarrassing break-down of my life happened.

***Later***

"We're sorry," said Lissa softly, moving a strand of my hair out of my face and then tucking it behind my ear. She gave me a watery smile. "Sorry about everything."

It was about half an hour later that I stopped crying, and Lissa and Mia had persuaded me to move to another room. I was in another room (in courtesy of Adrian Ivashkov), and I was lying down on my stomach with my palms on my cheeks like a little girl. I was tired—more tired than I could ever imagine—but, I kept my eyes open because Lissa looked so…so…_beautiful_. It was like she had a faint golden glow outlining her, and on the crown of her head was something halo-ish, but wasn't quite that.

I was about to say something sentimental, but stopped myself, and asked a random question instead. "Why's Adrian with us?"

Suddenly, the glowing light that outlined Lissa's form seemed to darken with her expression. Mia, too, I could feel behind me, stiffened. My drowsiness faded, as I smelled something they were not telling me. Adrian, who probably heard his name mentioned, looked up from the book he was reading. It surprised me that Adrian looked quite upset that he was brought up—or something along those lines.

"What is it?" I demanded, now alert and wide awake.

Lissa pursed her lips, and her pale green eyes looked like they were about to shed priceless tears. "It's nothing." she said unconvincingly.

"To hell it's nothing!" I boomed. In a speed that nothing could compare, I was up and five feet away from the bed. "Tell me."

"It might upset you." was Lissa said.

I resisted the urge to snort. "I've been through worse, if you haven't noticed."

"No," said Adrian. I didn't look at him. "No, Rose, it's true. If we tell you, this would only upset you further, and it will probably drive you into insanity." His words held truth in them, but the insanity part was kind of pushing it.

"Tell me." I compelled to nobody in particular, but the one who answered wasn't the one I expected to answer.

"The Queen wants the Slayer's head on a plate." Mia answered, her tone held incredulity and surprise. "Did you use compulsion?" she asked.

I ignored her, and sat down on the nearest chair. "Why does this all have to unveil now?"

"Only the future holds the truth." Adrian surprised me by answering, his tone slightly lost.

"And only the truth holds the answer." I continued, my tone slightly lost, too. "Sucks to be me."

All three people in the room turned to look at me.

"That's all you can say when there's a bounty for your pretty head—complete with hair and done-brows?"

I looked at them. "What? You want me to wallow in self-pity or something? I'm sorry, but I'm done being a damsel a while ago." I said and crossed my legs. "Why do they want me dead, anyway?"

"The court has been keeping these to themselves for a long time, but Adrian here—being drunk, spoiled-Queen's-nephew, and infatuated with you and all—blurted out that Royal Moroi Guards were sent away to search for the Slayer or the Slayer's whereabouts. Even Guardians on campus duty are assigned to keep track of the Slayer. Royal Moroi on committees are even hell-bent on searching for the Slayer, Rose. That's what scares me, why many significant Royal Moroi are working so hard just to find the Slayer." Lissa said, and then both she and Mia looked at Adrian as if he had the answer.

In fact, Adrian had it, and he wasn't so glad about selling it out.

"It's this crazy poetic prophecy my aunt's obsessed on. She said that it was written by the First Moroi—which is quite self-explanatory, if you were wondering what that means." Adrian got a crumpled paper on his jacket pocket and tossed it to me.

_The fruit of two different trees_

_One pure and unadulterated_

_And two tainted and verboten_

_The child of whom you know as Slayer_

_Shalt put the world in silence_

The poetic prophecy wasn't what I was expecting. I had expected to read complicated words, or misspelled words, but the poem was fairly modern. _And_ it pointed right at me, too. I didn't know who my mother was, but I knew that she was a good person, so she may be a good candidate for being an opposite of the tainted and verboten—namely, my father (whoever he was).

And _put the world in silence_? What did that mean? I'll end the world? Take over the world? Or destroy the world like in _2012_?

"Okay…" I said, and tossed the paper to Mia and Lissa for them to read. "Isn't it great that I'm going to end the world?"

***Next day***

"Money does wonders." I said as I strolled past my old room, that was now being fixed by, I noticed, novices and a few guardians. "I wonder how Adrian get s all of them." I wondered out loud. It was now early in the afternoon, and the sun was up and the tide was high, unlike yesterday's gloomy weather.

Mason was there, working in my room, fixing my—insert embarrassed grin there—chopped vanity table. He was shirtless—not that in surprised me—and his chest gleamed with sweat from the hot day. He ran his fingers through his hair, and looked up as if he felt that someone (me) was watching him.

I raised my hand and waggled my fingers at him. "Hey, Lover Boy." I called, and leaned back on the cruise's railing.

He squinted, and put a hand above his brows as if to oversee something. "Rose?" he called, unsure.

I stepped out of the sun's glare and onto a more suitable spot where Mason could see me without frying his pupils. "That's Rosemarie to you."

He smiled. "Glad to see that you're up. I haven't seen you after you made your dramatic exit yesterday." He told me, and then looked at my chopped vanity table. "Adrian Ivashkov is a dangerous man when he's drunk."

My cover story about my room was that Adrian was drunk and…er, well, you know what happens when people are drunk, and probably high from clove cigarettes.

"And high," I added cheerily.

"Yeah," he grumbled something unintelligible. "Hey, Belikov was looking for you earlier today, and he came in here just a while ago." Mason told me. "Why does he always need to talk to you, anyway? I mean, I know that he's your mentor and all, but why the rush?"

I shrugged, feigning innocence. "Maybe he needs more white tea?"

"Huh, guess so." Mason shrugged and went back to his work. "Anyway, he didn't say anything after that. Such a cryptic guy, wonder how he does when he makes socializing a normal thing."

That was the last thing I heard from Mason before I fled away to find that infuriating Russian. Luckily, he wasn't hard to find. He was in a sun-deck, gazing on the blue waves and horizon. I didn't know why the place was empty, but it was _just_ us. Maybe it was just how the sun played with his features or how the wind fluttered his longish dark hair, but he looked like the most beautiful thing in the world right now. But he only had to ruin it by saying "Slayer."

"There's a bounty for your head. Why did you seek me, even though you know that I know who you are?"

I stepped so I was just standing beside him. "Would you tell?" I asked.

He stared off, and said nothing.

"Because if you would, I'd just respect that. Tell the Queen about me, but leave my friends alone." Selfless, selfless. That was never my forte, but it sounded like I had been selfless for all my life. Although, deep inside, I knew that those words were unnecessary.

"I thought you knew me better than that." He said, and looked at me in the eyes. The impact of it was so incredible, it hurt. His dark brown eyes glittered like the night sky when he looked at the glittering sea, but when he looked at me…it was just—_amazing_.

I didn't look away, but gave a twitch on my lips. "Geez, I don't think I even know myself anymore." I said dryly.

Dimitri raised his hand to put a stray lock of my hair behind my ear, as cliché as it sounds. When his hand was free, he brushed his thumb on my cheekbone, and I closed my eyes, savoring the sense of warmth and happiness that bubbled inside me when he touched me. He cupped my cheek, and I leaned against it.

_Love_. I never understood that before—even after my mom. Yes, I loved my mother, but she was only a phantom in my life, a memory to savor, but Dimitri was a true person. He was Dimitri Belikov, flesh and blood. And I felt something for him. Something that overwhelmed me, but comforted me at the same time. I _loved_ Dimitri. God only knows what will happen if he takes back what he said before about him being in love with his student.

"I'm never going to put your life at risk, _Roza_. No matter what." He said finally.

His words made no sense first, but when it sunk in, tears pricked my eyes, but I held them back. I knew enough of proscription not to cry. _And_ I was getting to emotional. If there were any proscription hormones, I would have blamed them.

He had my face between his hands, and my cold face warmed. I looked up at him, so very happy. He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. When he spoke, his breath was hot and tantalizing.

"Whoever or whatever you are, it doesn't matter to me. What matters most is that you are my _Roza_." He gave in and gave me a kiss that made me feel like I was flying. I was elated, I was hopeful, and I was in love, and being loved. I couldn't imagine how life could get any better—Slayer-wise.

When we broke away, he leaned his forehead against mine, his breathing ragged. "I love you, _Roza_, and that's why I have to do what I have to do now."

I swear I could see Dimitri's eyes glitter with tears, but maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part. He closed his eyes, and kissed my forehead before he silently walked away, leaving me behind again. But before he could go, he whispered, "Goodbye," and I was just left there confused.

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**Oh, no! What's Dimitri going to do?**

**Darn it! So, how's this chapter? Tell me about it in a review!**

**Love lots, **

**Kate **

**Xx**

**P.S. I had no time to check grammars and spellings and I know full well that my English is far from perfect, so…yeah. G'night to me.**


	37. Crouching Witch, Hidden Dragon

**I made a huge mistake by not saying what Dimitri was doing (or going) at the last chapter. I should have mentioned it all because the chap's title was actually "Truth Be Told," and my chapters are pretty much self-explanatory all in all. So, I'm sorry for your week-long (or longer) wait for the update, but I got school (and I failed one pop quiz in basic Geometry—which is quite drastic for my stable grades).**

**Enjoy :D**

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**Chapter Thirty-five**

**Crouching Witch, Hidden Dragon  
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My sensei always said before that first words are supposed to be beheld, but now really wasn't the time to complicate myself by noticing—and listening, if possible—to other tell-tale signs of rumors that involved about a departing guardian. My heart squeezed until I could hardly breathe, and then it eased when someone touched my shoulder.

I shook my head, and looked at the person who was touching my shoulder. Lissa.

Her pale jade green eyes were filled with sorrow that made me want to reach out and comfort her. The glow that faintly outlined her head was hardly a glow anymore. It was dark, like snakes twisting their bodies.

"Rose," she said softly. "Have you heard?" she asked me, her tone stuck between being brave and meek.

I shrugged, totally indifferent. "Don't really know what I've heard. Tell me?"

She sat down in front of me, looking all regal and princess-like (which was very Lissa), and then just ruined everything by putting her elbows on the table and cupping her face with both her hands. "It's Guardian Belikov." she said in a quiet tone.

Not such a surprise…but what else? "What about him?" I asked.

I heard Lissa swallow loudly, and her eyes kind of pinched in the process. "He was supposed to be my guardian. And now he's leaving."

The empty smoothie glass in my hand broke into pieces with a noise. I looked at Lissa. "What?"

Lissa didn't bother to hide her amazement at how the glass broke, and then continued to her story. Lissa's lips quivered a little, only I could probably see that she was resisting tears. I wondered why. "I heard that he was leaving." she said in a rush. "That was all I heard, but I just know why this is all happening. I should have figured this out earlier." Lissa was closer to tears now, her eyes were shiny and her cheeks were flushed red.

I tried to relax on my seat, but it was impossible to. "You heard?" I tried to sound casual, but it came out tight and hard as granite. "You only heard? You know how people talk nowadays, Lissa."

Lissa looked at me, no hint of accusation in her eyes. "How about you, Rose? What do you think about him leaving? He's your mentor after all."

If I wasn't so tense, I should have sighed in relief. Lissa still didn't know about my relationship—or feelings, at least—with Dimitri. I knew that I should have confided her about it—I had been planning to—but now, with Dimitri leaving—leaving her—it was bad enough for Lissa. I was, now, far away from telling Lissa about my feelings (and his) for Dimitri—it would only make Lissa more determined to make him stay. Or rather make Lissa more desperate to let Dimitri stay.

"—promised them!" Lissa was saying. "And now, he agreed with the Queen that he'd rather—" Lissa stopped, words forming on her mouth, but no sound came out. She tightened her lips, and made wild motions with her hands. "—make babies with a woman he probably doesn't have feelings for!" the last words were a hiss. "I mean, c'mon! What's that?" Lissa's warm green eyes darkened and her face, if possible, changed.

"Make babies. Sex. Intercourse. Like how your mommy made such a vile thing like you?" said Lissa in a very low voice, it was almost masculine. Lissa smiled, her fangs appearing as broken tusks.

I resisted the urge to lean away from her. I knew where this was headed, but I wasn't prepared for Lissa. Lissa, my sweet Lissa. I didn't say a thing.

The creature in Lissa's body chuckled. "Oh, Rosemarie, Rosemarie, what a poor thing you are. Your mommy won't be so proud if she sees that you lack of—"

I made my move, making it swift and almost unstoppable. I threw the pieces of glass to Lissa's face, and then straight to the eyes. It was hard to focus your aim when it was your best friend's face you're throwing broken glasses at.

The creature in Lissa's body made a sound that sounded like a scream and a laugh. The creature in Lissa threw its head back, and got the glasses off with a laugh. The creature looked at me with Lissa's destroyed green eyes. And then, it slowly shifted from the green I've loved into the amber that was familiar in more ways than one.

"Oh, Rose, you're just like your mother. Impulsive and… _young_. Forever young!" she sang.

I growled incoherently, curling my fingers.

The amber eyes looked at me with amusement. "So ignorant." She said, wagging her index fingers at me. "Your mother has been such a good life-saver. Or rather life-bringer 'cause—"

I didn't let her continue. I jumped up and clawed at her, but she disappeared. Everything disappeared.

"Rose, wake up!" was what I heard in the darkness, and then the ocean…

A sting on my cheek helped me gain my wits. My eyes fluttered open and the first thing I saw was Lissa's worried expression and Mia's undone hair.

"You were screaming like a Scandinavian warrior ready to attack." I heard Mia's muffled voice. She peered at my face with a curious expression. "Like to tell us who you were going to kill in your dream?"

I scowled, and pushed both of them away from me. "I hope you both have brushed your teeth, because the air I'm breathing in doesn't smell right." I stood from where I was lying on the couch, and made a show of brushing off infinitesimal dusts on my tunic.

Mia put her hands on her hips and heaved a sigh. "We really should find a treat for you. This subscription is clashing with your sense of humor."

I stretched. "Proscription," I corrected her.

She rolled her eyes, and grumbled, "It might as well be a subscription." and stalked off to brush her teeth—or something similar.

I shook my head when the bathroom door was closed behind her. I was still shaken from the dream, and seeing Lissa right now isn't really what I call relief. Lissa was looking at me, expectant. I racked my brain for something to say, and ended up saying, "Subscription isn't even close to proscription. Prescription is." I know, that sounded utterly stupid, but what would I say? "Oh, hey, Lissa, I just dreamt that you were an evil creature trying to piss the hell out of me" wasn't quite an option.

Lissa surprised me by giggling. It was tinkly, like silver bells tinkling.

"Laugh all you want. I know I haven't showered, brushed my hair or teeth, either." I said.

Lissa stopped, and shook her head lightly. "It's not only your sense of humor gone." she started. "Also your common sense."

I raised a brow at her. "Oh, now, you're a doctor? Well, sorry, but I only prefer healers."

Lissa sighed, the sound was fond, but it held some air of despair. "I love you, you know that, right?" Lissa said slowly, and Mia came out with fresh clothes and she stank with perfume. My hand twitched to pinch my nose.

Mia raised both her hands, silently saying "I know, I know, I haven't showered," and strode to the sofa, lounging there while her hand played with her naturally wavy hair.

"Why so incredibly sappy today?" I asked them, jumping on my heels. I was getting restless, I needed a walk. Or a run. A really long and fast one.

"We need to tell you something, but we're sure that you wouldn't like it…so, we planned on giving you all the love we could muster up today." said Mia with sincerity.

I stiffened. As much as I wanted to run, my muscles just didn't work for a second or two, and then I was pacing around the room.

"Told you she wouldn't like it." whispered Mia.

I didn't bother telling them that I could hear them even if I was half a mile away from them. I was sure they knew that by heart already.

They didn't say anything for exactly ten seconds.

"What did you want to tell me?" I had managed to stop pacing by then, but it was a minute away before I start jumping—or running.

"Oh, it was just about…"

_Not Dimitri, not Dimitri_, I chanted over and over.

"…about Adrian."

I sighed in relief, not bothering to hide my overreacting side. "What about him?"

"Oh, he had news about Guardian Belikov going away. Said he quit campus work for a woman he loved." Blunt, very blunt. But blunt or not, it hurt like hell.

"I knew it." I almost snarled.

"Told you she wouldn't like it." I heard Mia whisper.

"We didn't have any choice. She would've heard from it sooner, and hearing them from other people would be worse." I heard Lissa say in a reasonable tone.

Those were what half my brain was hearing. The other part was way beyond pissed and confused. I didn't feel upset or sad—not right now, at least. My thoughts were a snarl of dark thoughts, and I tried to subdue them. _He's a moron_, were the words being repeated inside the other half of my brain. I agreed, Dimitri _was_ a moron.

I knew quite well that Dimitri loved his job as a guardian. Hell, he was devoted to being one, even teaching a girl like me was a joy for him. He was _so_ in on the Guardian Society with his skills, that he only needed at least one words to make a lower guardian to bend them to his will. And now he's _leaving_. That was only one part of that. He's _leaving_. For _me_.

"Leaving for a woman he adored!" I suddenly hated those words. He wouldn't—couldn't do this for me. Not on my watch. I was twisting the knob of the door before two seconds passed.

"Wait, wait, wait, Rose! Where the hell are you going?" Lissa and Mia were in front of me within a second. Moroi were really fast when they wanted to be.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to stop him from making such a fucking huge mistake!" I half-shouted. "Leaving for a woman he adored? Fuck that!" I almost spat on Lissa and Mia face for all it was worth.

I saw Mia's hand twitch, as if to check if there was saliva on her face.

Lissa, on the other hand, was looking kind of grim. The grimness was destroyed by her next words. "Say it, don't spray it."

My world turned beyond insane by then. A minute or two later, I was striding down the cruise's main deck toward Adrian's room. And then just stumbled upon scales. Literally.

"Whoopsie! I am sorry! Roza, is that you? Oh, it's Roza!" a familiar voice with that thick Hungarian accent said.

I glared at the scales before standing up. I took in Graceling's appearance. If possible, she looked more beautiful than before. And taller, too. About half an inch, I could tell. Her hair had grown a bit, too. She was wearing a knee-length dark green dress, and her smooth lightly tanned skin was blatantly glowed with scales. Er, dragon scales, that is.

"Dragon scales are slippery." Graceling said, more like to herself than me.

_No shit_, I said silently. "It seems like I only stumble upon you when I'm hunting for answers." I said.

Graceling's thoughtful look disappeared, and the jolly expression came back to her face. "You are looking for answers, yes?"

"Yeah, like, what's up with you and scales?"

Graceling's cheeks reddened a lovely color. "Oh, my Father calls them dragon hormones. He said that I am near my time to fully shift as one, that's why all these scales are…you know, showing." Graceling smiled, clearly proud. I felt good for her, too, which was a pretty miraculous thing, noting my pissed-off state.

"And I notice that you seem taller." I told her.

She brightened. "Oh, my Father, Mother, and even Brother think so, too!" What's with all the pronouns?

I nodded, hoping I was looking encouraging. "Listen, I've gotta go. I need to ask Adrian a ques—Graceling?" She had stopped moving. Her face was blank and turning pale. She was as immobile as a stone, too. I shook her shoulder. "Graceling?"

"She's having a Trance." The voice was pretty familiar. I didn't hear anyone come, but I was hard to startle.

I repressed a shudder when Drake came into view. His body guards were nowhere to be found. At least they're not with him for the moment. Maybe they were looking for Graceling.

"Yeah, I got that." I said, and stepped back, ready to bolt if Drake would decide to jump on me for (probably) putting his sister into eternal deep sleep. Drake stepped forward, his pupils black slits in the sea of emerald. My stomach clenched. It doesn't take fortune-teller to know what Drake was up to next. Hypothetically speaking.

"Listen, Drake, I wasn't trying to—"

"I have my patience, Peacekeeper. Mate or not, you are supposed to submit yourself to me. Every girl does." Drake practically growled.

Mate? What the—"Listen, _asshole_, I am _not_ your fucking mate, and I am _not_ going to submit myself to you. That's just—yuck!" Okay, that was overdoing it. Everybody knows that Drake—the absolutely Greek-gold-like gorgeous blond and green-eyed Drake—was far from having the expression "yuck." I, myself, should admit that he looked…well, handsome. More handsome than other guys. Of course, it was because of his dragon genes. Beauty, elegance, and danger are their middle names.

Drake's image shuddered and, for a second, I saw his true dragon form. His scales were variations of greens, and yellow-greens. His eyes were bigger, angrier. His face shifted into a dragon's muzzle and the golden mane of blond hair disappeared into a mass of green.

And then just like that, it all disappeared and Drake the wyvern appeared in front of me like he normally looked. If you could call extremely handsome normal.

"Nobody has ever dared address me as a hole in the arse." Drake looked—and sounded—almost thoughtful. "I wonder what the Americans mean when they say pain in the ass. In this case, I wish to say that mates are pain in the arse. I wonder how my father managed to live with my mother. You are quite as stubborn as she." And then all of the thoughtfulness disappeared. He looked at me with a glare.

"I have my patience, mate. I'll take you, whether you like it or not."

I shuddered. Not from his words, but from the bile that rose from my throat. It wasn't like I disliked Drake (he was hard to dislike, looking like that). It was just that his words had the opposite effect on me—unlike on most heroines on some romance novels I've read. Saying that Drake's words were erotic was far-fetched in my case.

"And I'll take myself to the mental nut-case hospital if I don't arrive to Czech Republic without another guy slobbering over me." A well applied hyperbole, I see.

Drake looked at me with half-lidded eyes. "I rest my case. I get it that you are not ready for me to bed you yet."

This time, I gagged. The bile rose higher, but I swallowed it down.

"I thought dragons prefer virgins." I said reasonably.

"And you are not?" he sounded surprised.

I snorted. "I'm proscribed, so I couldn't really call myself a virgin, right?"

"Virgins?" Graceling was out of her Trance now. She blinked and the color on her face came back. She looked like she was about to faint. Drake held her against him, supporting her weight. "_Vat about verrjins_?" Graceling's accent got thicker every time she spoke.

Thirty seconds later, Graceling swayed. Drake, being the responsible big brother he was, swung Graceling to his arms like a baby. Graceling was unconscious.

"Gaceling has been through a lot. Her body is ready to change, thus making her doubly tired. And her premonitions come in stronger than before." said Drake grimly, and I looked at Graceling…kind of sad. She was such a hyperactive kid, and now she was here in front of me, getting her zees.

"She has been trying to help you."

Guilt was probably plain on my face now.

"And you don't even appreciate enough to listen."

Ouch, that stung.

"But I am inclined to understand that women can be too stubborn at times. No, all the time." Drake said, and looked down at his sister's face as if she, too, was stubborn.

"I hate to part from you, but I have to tend my sister." he said, and then he was gone. Like that. Popped out of sight.

"Well." I said to myself when I felt clearly alone. "That was fun."

And all of a sudden, I wasn't alone. Footsteps echoed my way. I straightened my shoulders and put on an impassive face.

"Rose?" A moment too soon, I heard a woman call my name. I turned around to look at who called me, and was quite taken aback to see the gorgeous, but scarred Tasha Ozera. Her pale face practically glowed with happiness in the dark. Her pale pink lips (well, the unscarred part, that is) were turned up into a blissful smile. She looked like a woman who just had her wedding.

"Miss Ozera," I nodded in acknowledgment.

"Oh, please call me Tasha." she said and strode toward me.

I nodded again. "Tasha." I looked up into the night sky and wished it was day. I felt her stand beside me. Her hand brushed with mine.

"It's a beautiful starry night, isn't it?" she asked me.

"Yes, it is." I decided that relaxing around Tasha wasn't a bad thing. I relaxed. "It is." I said, more sincerely this time.

"You're Dimka's student, am I right?" she asked a while later. The nickname didn't startle me like the last time.

I nodded, not able to say anything.

"Oh. Have you heard that he was leaving for a woman?"

"A woman he loved?" it came out as barely a whisper.

"Yes. A woman he _adored_." she sounded dreamy.

"Yeah, I did. Why?"

"It's just that—" she stopped, and took a deep breath. Her speech wasn't clearly scripted, but she had thought a lot about talking to Dimitri's student—that was what was on her mind. I just caught a glimpse of it, but it said everything else.

I was beyond shocked.

"—I don't want you to think that I'm stealing him away from you. We've been together—" those were the only words I needed to hear. The only sound in my mind was the would-be screams of my probably victims of the world. And Kathy's sneer—I saw it. As clear as crystal. Those long, broken tusks glinted in nasty dark yellow.

"Rose?" Tasha's face was in front of me.

_It's not her fault_, I told myself.

_It's Kathy's_.

_It's her doings._

As Kathy had said: _I'd pay hell—literally—just to make you suffer like I did._

She was a girl of her words.

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**That's it for this chapter. Whoa! What a tiring chapter to make! I was really undecided to what I'd do about this, but finally! I just really had it in me to make something random not random. If you get what I mean, that is.**

**I'm mighty sleepy everyone. It's exactly ten here in PH.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**

**Xx**

**P.S. There's been no time correcting my typos, grammars, and everything, so it's going to be not-so literary now. I'll update next week.**


	38. Offers and Withdrawals

**I had many reviewers telling me that they were confused at the ending of my last chapter, so I'm sorry about that. I was a little off then, 'cause it was almost midnight when I finished the chapter. And this is me, writing a chapter sloppier than usual. Sorry if it doesn't make any sense.**

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**Chapter Thrity-six**

**Offers and Withdrawals  
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"Rose?" said Tasha again.

My throat constricted, not allowing me to speak. My heart stopped beating for about three seconds, and I felt dead. The coldness that started from the tips of my fingers expanded until it was now surrounding my whole body. I didn't—couldn't move. I couldn't feel anything. I was numb. My eyes stung from the cold, and I knew why I had strayed here tonight.

"Rose? You look kind of pale. Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, concern lacing her tone and her expression changed from glowy-happy to worry. And then sorrow was crystal-clear in her eyes. "Oh, no, I'm sorry if you feel like I'm stealing him away from the academy, but I'm not, Rose."

I swallowed, trying to clear up my throat. "Then tell me, please, why is he leaving with you, if you aren't the one he loves?" The words slipped out of my mouth like I have rehearsed them over and over.

Her wintry blue eyes widened, and then turned flat-out cold. "Do you have any objection about my attachment to your mentor, Miss _Hathaway_?" her tone was expressionless, but the way she said my last name, it was as if she was…well, for a lack of a better word, disgusted.

I swallowed again, and managed to give a timid head shake. My body was getting ice cold, and if I didn't know any better, I would have thought that I was getting frostbites. I was just so cold. Colder in my whole life. I shivered, and realized that I was rubbing my hands together to warm them. My breath was fogged up, like it always did during winters.

Eyes still cold, she continued. "Tomorrow evening, the cruise will set shore at the edge of Czech, and there all of you _novices_ and Moroi both are staying. Your mentor and I will go by air to Moscow, and then we'll have a long drive to Siberia. He and I are going to visit his family in Baia. And the rest of you will be staying back in Czech, doing your own thing, but I can't see why this is any of your business."

I bit back a snappy retort. It was something in between "If it wasn't my business, why'd you say it?" and "Fuck off and eat shit." I know that it is grammatically impossible, but the suppressed thoughts that clouded my mind made it sound pretty possible.

Instead of doing just that, I stared at her, long and hard, making her see. Tormenting her, just do…_anything_.

Nothing happened.

That was unusual. _Very_ unusual. It never happened before; I could always give all people headaches whenever I stare at them too hard. But now? Nothing was happening.

_Which is a total waste_.

I jumped, the voice startling me. I startled Tasha, too, because she jumped when I did. I couldn't hear her heart beating, but from the expression in her eyes, she didn't like to be frightened. Not in front of me.

A low, seductive chuckle resonated inside my head. It was clear that it was just me hearing it because Tasha was talking, unfazed by the seductive allure of the sound.

"Christ, Rose, I don't know what's wrong with you, but you need medication." was all Tasha said before holding up her hands as if in surrender and whirled around to walk away from me.

Just right then, I wanted to throw her a ball of fire, but the problem was…I couldn't. my palms weren't heating.

Just then, realization hit me.

My powers were gone. That was why I was so cold right now. My powers were gone, that was why I couldn't hear Tasha's heartbeat. My powers were gone, that was why I was so desperate to get it back.

The saying "you'd realize the value of one thing when they're already gone" came into my mind. It was true. I was so very desperate to get my powers back, I would do almost anything.

My vision changed, and it was no longer bright out. It was dark, except for the lighting on the lamp in front of me, and the quarter moon that hung in front of my peripheral vision. It was there as if it was mocking me.

_You have it bad for me, baby,_ the seductive voice inside my head said. _You got it bad._

My palms started to sweat, which was a first. Sure, I sweat normally like other people, but not in the palm—not from fear. And now, look at me—fearful and alone. Shit, this wasn't what I planned it to be.

_The world doesn't just go around you, Rose. It's like how good can never survive without a little evil._ The soft purr inside my head nearly lulled me to sleep. It was like the world would be bearable just with the sound of it. The voice was low, but clearly female, just hiding a shy of an accent that I couldn't quite trace.

_Like how you can never be so full of life and power without facing the consequences of using it against the "innocent" people._ The eerie-seductive voice continued.

I closed my eyes and told myself that I was hearing voices; that I was turning into psychotic nut-crack. I guess they kind of had some medical name for this—somewhere between post-psychotic stress and just a far-near cry of schizo.

_Love, you are quite sane, and you know that_. The voice let out a throaty chuckle. It, now, raised goose-bumps on my arms. It was because what she said was true. I _was_ sane. I was _not_ a psychotic nut-crack.

_And don't forget that there's no such thing as a post-psychotic stress, or whatever you call it_, the voice chimed in.

_Who are you, anyway?_ I asked inside my head.

_Oh, love, you can call me your…conscience._ Her tone was amused.

I turned wary. _You're not Kathy, are you?_ It was possible that this was Kathy, and was just probably messing with my head—again. And this was probably another nightmare she set up for me. Maybe, just maybe, I would wake up, and figure out all of this was just a dream.

A gasp sounded from inside my head. _I would only have to wish I was a vampire who'd gone mad after hell freezes over!_ The voice was so vehement with disgust, and shock that I almost took back what I said. _Which, from my experience, will never happen._

_Who the hell are you? Wait—_what_ are you?_

There was a growl. _Watch it, love, you may be acclaimed proscribed, but there are reasons why so few of your kind are alive today._

I froze, the chills biting my skin, but I ignored it. _My kind?_ What did she mean by that?Words formed on my lips, but only fog came out. I reached for the voice internally, asking her what she meant.

The chuckle was throatier than the one before. _You are obviously in need of a guide, but there is nothing to worry about that, Czech Republic is the place where you need to be if you want one. But without your powers, you're nothing, love. And then, that's where you'll need me._

_Need you for what?_ I asked, wondering if she was offering me help or just being the annoying voice she was.

_We can work together, love. You need to set your foot in Czech aggressive and ready. You need powers. You need to let out your inner self._

I snorted and said out loud: "I don't have an inner self."

A growl escaped from the voice. _I _am_ your inner self. If you'd just use the powers I'm offering you. You'd intimidate the demons, and certainly all the supernatural beings there. Czech Republic is the center of them all. You can control them; bend them to your will, with just one flick of your finger. You can break their necks with just a twist of your wrists. You can have the world and not look back at yourself in the mirror saying that you miss that diminutive Russian who's just running away from you._

"Whoa, this is not—"

_And tell me, love,_ the voice cut me off. _Why did you have to endure a six-day travel on a cruise ship, when you could have just parted the sea and ran your way here? That would have simply sufficed. No lives compromised, and certainly no silly break-up with your mentor._

"Would you just fuck off already? I'm not accepting any of your fucking offers, and I will certainly _not_ take over this fucking world!" I screamed at the moon.

_Oh, please, don't flatter yourself of the idea that you're going to be good again after you get yourself out of this proscription, love. Let me be honest, that's just not possible. The only way out of it is by death, then resurrection or a deal with a demon—and which I would not prefer if I were you. Only a deranged person would ever bargain with creatures like them._

I took deep breaths, counting them off until ten. When I was done, I wasn't as relaxed as I usually was. My body didn't feel right, and I felt like ice. Literally.

"Do you have a death wish or something? You're standing over the edge of the railing, and you have frostbites all over your body. _Merde_, Rose, don't…" The sound of the voice cut me out of my trance.

Warmth filled me as arms engulfed my ice-cold body. I had just realized that I was now standing over the edge of the railing. I would have fallen over if this someone hadn't pulled me back. And speaking of, I think I knew who that someone was. The unmistakable accent and language said it all.

"Drake, what are you doing here?" I asked, but my voice was merely a squeak.

Drake's bright green eyes glared at me. "I should ask you the same thing, Rose. What were _you_ doing standing over there?" he asked me, his tone hard and angry.

"Why are you so mad?" I asked him, but it all made no sense. Everything that happened felt like a dream, like I was just waiting for an alarm clock to turn on or something. Everything was just fogged up. Unclear.

Drake stopped shaking my shoulders and looked at me. From head to toe. And then his expression changed. I couldn't quite get a read on them, noting that I was probably tired to the bones.

"You changed." was all he said.

"Huh?" My eyes drooped, and my brain wanted so bad to just shut down and just be dead to the world, but Drake with this expression was just…priceless.

"And you don't remember."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I drawled sleepily.

"You don't remember, do you? When I kissed you that first day we met?"

I snorted. "Not hardly. I couldn't even remember the day when I was born!"

"Rose, I am serious." Drake looked serious too.

"And so am I." I told him honestly. I wasn't good at memorizing, even before I lost my powers. Lost powers, that probably sounded downright hilarious, and I would have laughed.

"Rose, I kissed you right on this deck, do you not remember?" Drake took my shoulders, and leveled his gaze with mine.

I peeled my lips back and bared my teeth. I didn't know why I did it, but it just felt good. Or maybe I just thought it was good because I was sleepy, and acting like a drunk. "I have amnesia when I bumped my head during my fight with Kathy." I grinned at him widely.

He tried to smile, but it ended up as a grimace. "Listen, Rose, you don't control fire, do you? Before you…changed?" he asked, cautious.

I looked back at Drake, my body tensing and losing some of its drowsiness. "I can control everything back then, Drake. Nothing could stop me." The fog was lifting off, but not quite. Maybe I just needed some sleep so I could recover. Maybe I could get my powers back after I sleep.

"Then you are not my mate." said Drake, his blond brows knitting together.

I tried to look haughty. "I was never anyone's mate, dragon."

Drake looked at me, his pupils forming into slits. From my ordinary seeing, his pupils was only a thinning line of black from the bright green of his eyes. "I will let that insult pass without offense, Peacekeeper." And then his eyes dimmed and his pupils turned back to the not-so round pupil. "I hope your journey will turn out all well in the end." And with that, the Brad Pitt of a dragon disappeared, leaving me alone.

It was like a hundred-mile walk later when I was by our line of rooms. I took a deep breath, dragging in the scent of salt. I should say that I missed the sweet smell of Moroi and the spicy scents of dhampirs—I miss everything when it's already gone.

I turned to the curve to our door's room. It was probably hours before the sun comes up, and Lissa and Mia were probably inside or partying, but I didn't mind. I just needed some rest. But that turn made me halt instead.

A man in a denim jacket and pants was there. His black hair was slicked back from a pronounced widow's peak and his face—wrinkled old face—was staring at the star-filled sky. Even though I couldn't see as well as before, I knew that those almond-shaped dark eyes sparkled like the stars did.

It was sensei.

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**Questions are welcome, and I would answer them as hard, and fast as I could. I know all of you are confused at this point, so I'm in for interrogation.**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :D**


	39. The Clock is Ticking

**Hey, guys! Sorry if this chapter is not really making any sense, 'cause I just got my braces on, and it's very uncomfortable for me. It's giving me a headache, and my teeth feel like they are being pulled out of the gums. LOL:D Okay, people who enjoy my pain, laugh at me! I deserve it for not updating yesterday! :-# And people who already saw ECLIPSE the movie, Riley was HOT! I envied Victoria then!**

**P.S. This chapter is not checked for typos, grammars and etc. This is just what I wrote w/o re-reading and editing.**

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**Chapter Thirty-seven**

**The Clock is Ticking**

Sensei was here. He was here. In the cruise, and I didn't know anything about it. Boy, was I slow. Even with my powers before, I was. Kind of. But now, with my powers gone AWOL, I bet the Tool of Baal that I was slower than an old sloth.

The wind on the deck picked up, and it chilled me until I had goose-bumps covering my skin. It was my first time to feel this cold before, and it didn't feel right. I felt empty—isolated. I rubbed my arms, trying to warm myself with the friction. It didn't work, so I started walking toward sensei. My steps now weren't what I was used to. It was…it wasn't right. My feet and legs seemed heavier now, and my head weighed about ten pounds because my neck was flaming from lifting my head high. Kind of. I hated it.

The saying "be careful what you wish for" popped into my mind then. Yup, I fully agree. I remember those times that I wished I was just a normal human, dhampir, or Moroi (which meant no extraordinary powers that included breaking necks with one flick of my wrist), but now that it came true, I wanted my powers back. Even if they were a curse or not.

Knowing sensei for my whole life, I knew that he wouldn't acknowledge me until I was beside him. When I was beside him, his first words were, "The clock is ticking, Slayer."

The title sensei called me gave me a sense of nostalgia so strong that I wanted to weep. The thought about the tears of blood that would come out of my eyes held me resolved. I blinked back those bloody tears and held my back ram-rod straight. I looked at where sensei was looking up high in the sky and saw the moon, more than half-way from going full. When my eyes connected to it, an inkling sense of valiance swept through me, reminding me that—powers or no—I was still Rose Hathaway The Slayer.

"I know," I said, suddenly proud that my voice didn't sound any different than my mesmerizing, slightly deep and accented voice. My accent wasn't anything indicative of any place in the world, because it was only the letter R that I roll off of my tongue. If it was an accent by similarity, it would be Russian, but I wasn't Russian, of course. "I'll be going in full throes of action tomorrow night, sensei. I want to catch this demon that has the answers I want."

Sensei looked at me, his usually blank stare holding appraisal. "Ah, I see that you already know what you are looking for." He said, and gestured to my hair. "Your hair has grown longer since the last time I saw you."

My hair, that was perpetually shoulder-length, was now almost touching the middle of my back. I patted it, surprised that sensei had made such a comment about a useless thing. Not that my hair was useless. In fact, I loved my hair. It was only by sheer luck and stubbornness that I hadn't let sensei cut it into a short bob.

"Yeah, it has." I said, maintaining my brisk, business-like tone. Even with sensei, I didn't—still don't—let my guard down. It just might retaliate. "What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I'm here to see your progress." was all sensei said.

"And what about it?" I prompted.

"As I could see, you have done much progress." I swear that sensei sounded grim. Well, I tried to convince myself, sensei _always_ sounded grim. Even on happy times. "You are now in European boundary, you have eliminated your arch-enemy once, and enticed a dragon." Lines formed at the corner of sensei's mouth, indicating a slight frown.

I raised a brow. "May I ask you how you know all about this, let alone why are you here in this cruise?" I asked. "And eliminated my arch-enemy once? Whatever do you mean?" I asked suspiciously. "And wait—what—arch-enemy?" I said, suddenly flustered. How did sensei know about Kathy being my arch-enemy? For all I know, sensei had been spying on me all the time and thought that Kathy was just a bitchy hag that wouldn't take failure without crime. Literally.

Sensei smirked. Really smirked. Smirked at me like a teenage bully would smirk at a smaller, vulnerable kid. It took all my strength not to shrink back at him. This is so not my sensei.

"It is me, Rosemarie." said sensei.

I took a cautious step back. "You're not." I said, glad that my voice was as cool as his. "Tell me who you are." I ordered.

Sensei quit smirking, and gave me a serious smile. It changed his features, making it look less old and wrinkly. In fact, he looked quite young now. "I think it's time to tell you the truth about me, Slayer." Said sensei, but I don't think it was sensei I heard. His voice sounded a bit different. Younger, I think. But maybe this was just an effect without my supernatural powers and abilities. Sensei took a step toward me, and then his face moved. Morphed until he didn't look like the old Asian man that I grew used to see. The voluminous wrinkles on his face cleared up until it was smooth and his skin tone lightened several shades until it was a very light olive. Sensei's thinning black hair thickened until it lengthened and darkened even more.

I gaped. I actually gaped at sensei.

Sensei's morphing lip smiled at me, almost friendly. "There's a reason why you call me sensei, Slayer."

Sensei's broad nose narrowed. Sensei's body lengthened until I wasn't topping him—he grew about an inch or two, and then, his eyes stayed the same. His face and body had changed, but his eyes, those dark brown and almond-shaped eyes, stared at me impassively until I locked my jaw shut.

Talk about getting enough weirdness in one day.

But…sensei? _My_ sensei?

"Sensei?" I asked, doubtful and, more or less, stupefied.

He raised a hand in greeting. And made a peace sign, twitching the side of his lips up as a wry smile. "It's me, just in my original form."

My jaw threatened to drop again, but I held it shut. I surveyed my sensei. Or maybe it wasn't him. Just some kind of mean trick Kathy might be playing on me again.

Honestly, sensei didn't look bad in his "original form." He, in fact, looked really good. His longish black hair was slicked back from a very pronounced widow's peak, and his eyebrows were like two ebony slashes against the slight pallor of his skin. Sensei's normally broad nose was a little longer and narrower, making him look less Chinese and more Japanese. And this sensei was skinny, but tall. The only thing that stayed the same with sensei were his clothes and his eyes.

I said the first thing that popped inside my head. "Can I call you Avatar?"

The man in front of me pursed his lips. "No, you cannot." He said, all business. "Slayer, who do you think I am?"

My mind went to the gutter for a moment. "I don't know who you are, but I know what you are. You're some kind of weird shape-shifter, right? Tell me I'm right, please, because if I'll learn that I'm losing it because of this fucking proscription, I will eventually take over the world and kill innocent children!"

The man had a patient look on his face. "I am still your sensei, Rosemarie. The previous man you saw was your mother's trainer and loyal friend, which was why she left you with him." he said.

The cold air stung me. "Wh-what do you mean?" I asked.

The man looked away from me for a second, and then explained. "Your mother, Rose, was never like the normal dhampirs. To be truthful, she wasn't a dhampir, nor she was a Moroi." He said, looking into my eyes. "She always feared every time she'd make contact with people. She was afraid that, in physical contact, she might slowly take away the lives of people."

I let out a breath, and it fogged in front of my face. Comprehension snapped inside of me.

"_Your mother, Rose, was never like the normal dhampirs."_

" _And then the last, the Reaper is the one who's supposed to put the angst souls to rest so there shall be no evil left in the atmosphere to where it had gone."_

Many memories slipped inside my head, and only one stood out from the rest. It was eight years ago, two years before sensei had finally changed his mind about using my powers for the better, not only in house-hold.

"_Are these leather gloves?" I asked._

_Sensei looked at me, his wise dark eyes felt like it was searching in me instead of the gloves I was holding up. A moment later, he looked away, and said, "Yes, they are hundred percent leather, Rosemarie."_

"_Who wants pure leather gloves when there are latex?" I asked, half-joking._

_Sensei looked like he was about to scold me for being not-so respectful, but stopped himself. "They're your mother's."_

"_Oh?" I said, suddenly curious. I looked at the gloves I was holding. They were small, but they were still a little too big for me. I felt a sense of importance on it, and cradled it against my chest. Every thing that my mother owned, I took care of. "Would you tell me why mom was wearing leather gloves?"_

_Sensei frowned a little but complied. "Your mother had an aversion to touching people."_

"_Why?" I asked. As a nine-year-old, I was in advanced placement in the language department._

_Sensei let out a little sigh and clapped off the dust on his hands. We had been rearranging the apartment again, and with my help, sensei had nothing to worry about. "Your mother was afraid."_

"_Afraid how? Germs?"_

_Sensei looked at me, and then shook his head slowly. "She was afraid if she'll touch somebody, even by accident, they'll wither like daisies when they're not exposed to the sun."_

Sensei's explanations had been vague and I didn't understand anything about that before, but now, I understood completely.

"You mean, my mother is like me?" I asked, my voice suddenly meek.

The man _tsk_ed, and shook his head. "Your mother is not like you." He sounded so sure, I believed in him.

"Then what is—was she?" I prompted.

"She's a Night Watcher."

"…_a prophecy about the Night Watchers. Some tribes also call them the Peacekeepers, and its human term is Bounty Hunters….There are three members of the Night Watchers. The Slayer, the Tracker, and the Reaper."_

"Yes, just like me. I'm a Night Watcher." I told him, wanting to shake him.

The man looked at me. "No, you are a Peacekeeper."

"So, the two are different? Mom's a Night Watcher, I'm a Peacekeeper? Did Sam and Dean had it mixed up?"

"If you're mentioning those two human hunters' opinions, then yes, they were mixed up and unorganized. Some myths are true, but never exact." The man said. "And in case if you didn't know, your mother is _the_ Night Watcher, and you are _the_ Peacekeeper."

My head swam. "So, we're entitled." I said in a dazed voice. This was just too much to handle, but I needed to know everything. "How about a Bounty Hunter? What is it?"

The man gave me a white smile. "_I_ am _the_ Bounty Hunter."

I frowned. "Okay. Is Bounty Hunter just a variation like Slayer is to Peacekeeper?" I asked him.

"Give the girl a cookie."

I tried to roll my eyes, but my eyes just wouldn't cooperate. I slumped down, sitting on the decks floor. "Tell me more." I ordered.

"As you wish." The man made a gallant bow. And that reminds me…

"What's your name, by the way?" I asked.

He smiled. "Thy name is Shoji Yuan, half-Chinese half-Japanese famed Bounty Hunter-slash-Tracker."

So, my mother was the Reaper. That explained things.

"Well, Shoji, tell me everything."

"Of course." He said. "Your mother had been passed to me like you were passed to your sensei Ying."

I stopped him. "So, you're not sensei Ying?" I asked, suddenly wanting to pass out. My palms were cold, and dread was filled within me.

Shoji gave me a small sad smile. "I am a Tracker gifted with gifts just as special as yours. I have those gifts by my disposal, Slayer."

"What do you mean?"

"Fourteen years or so ago, I sought for you, but I couldn't find you because your essence was banned from me—a ban which your mother made—so that I couldn't find you. As a Tracker, I am the one who finds the people who are either one of us or not. Your mother was a child of Hayden Hathaway, a Scottish Moroi, and an unknown _undead_, in the late 1800s."

Late 1800s. Oh my God, I can't believe this.

"As you probably know now, people like us are born only by one good apple and by one, which doesn't happen nowadays because of contraceptive pills." Shoji chuckled, but I didn't find anything funny. "I found your mother's mother just in time when she was about to go into labor. She died, end of Hayden Hathaway. I got to raise your mother, until she was taken away from me by my so-called employer and given to a guy—which, I might like to add, is your dad.

She was exactly ninety-four -years old when she was given away. Even against her will." Shoji's eyes sparkled.

I swallowed all other questions, and asked the most reasonable of all. "You said you had a so-called employer. Who was it?"

"Oh, the early Ivashkov monarch. I, as a Bounty Hunter, am a recluse. I don't stay in one place with one person except for people who are like me. Bred like me, that is."

"You mentioned my father. Do you know who he was?" I asked, meek again.

Shoji snorted. "Your father was a fool for falling for your mother despite her warnings. The late King Ivashkov had hired Janine as your father—Ibrahim's guardian out of hatred. The King never liked your father, nor did your father did the King. When the King captured me and bound me as his own, I was ordered to do such things. As I had mentioned before, the King made me give up your mother to the Turkish Moroi."

Oh, my father _was_ Turkish. Graceling was right.

"It didn't take Ibrahim a glance to fall for your mother." He continued, flexing his fingers. "He was so smitten by her—when he knew that your mother couldn't touch anyone, he tried to find a way. This was what I liked about Ibrahim. He was persistent. He sought for a solution until he found one.

The solution wasn't what they were expecting, but Ibrahim would do anything to be with your mother in more ways than one. So, guess what your foolish father found as a solution."

I swore. "He decided to be a Strigoi." I breathed, shocked.

"Obviously." He said, looking at me. "Your mother couldn't take away the life of anyone or anything when they are already dead, can she? So, that was Ibrahim's solution. Your mother tried to stop him, but…well, you don't want to know the rest of the story. I think it's up for you to find out the rest." Shoji bounded up to his feet and stretched gracefully.

"Wait, I have one question."

He raised a brow at me. "State it."

"How can I get my powers back?" I asked, even though I knew it was impossible.

Shoji gave me a lopsided grin. "Take what is offered to you." He said, and yawned. "It's almost dawn, Slayer. Any more questions before I tell you what's up?"

Despite Shoji's age, he spoke modernly. "Um, if my history is too much—"

"Your history, of course! After your mom and dad did "it," your mom escaped from your father when she still had the wits to do it. Then she banned me from you, and gave you to the person she trusted most. Guess who? Her mentor, that Ying guy. A guy to be reckoned with when he was still a sprout. Your mother left without a word, and ta-da! There's instant sensei Ying. I don't know the rest of the story, so I'm sorry if I can't narrate it all for you. It's your life anyway, why can't you know?"

Again, that reminded me about my sensei Ying. "If you're not sensei Ying, where is he?"

He pursed his lips. "I regret—"

"What do you regret?" I asked, getting impatient. Impatience and stress weren't the best combo.

"I tried to give him the reason to make you fight against the undead, Rose, but he wouldn't comply. I didn't have any choice but to dispatch him."

I went totally still, I wondered if I really had lost my immobility powers. "Dispatched how?" my voice was expressionless, but my head was swimming with emotions and thoughts.

"He was on the way, Rose, I had to kill him if he didn't see the reason for your being. After all, there are only three of us left in this world because of the proscriptions."

"When did you dispatch him?" I asked.

"Six or seven years ago."

"That was when I started slaying." I said, no inflection on my voice.

Shoji didn't say anything for a while. "So, I have news for you."

"Don't tell me, please, don't even talk."

He killed sensei. He killed my sensei.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice reproachful.

"Don't tell me. Swear it. Don't tell me."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I said YES!" my voice echoed, but it was carried away by the wind.

"I swear to you that I will not tell you what valuable news I'm doing for you."

I exhaled. "You said there were only three of us left in this world. Is my mother one of them?" I asked before Shoji could walk away.

"No, your mother is not one of us now." He answered in a clear voice.

"Then who is it?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "That was supposed to be the news I'd give to you. You let me swear that I wouldn't say it." he said. "It is physically impossible for me to say the name of the person, but the name is on my mind. If you still had your powers, you would get a glimpse into them, but you're powerless now."

God, how I hated myself this moment.

"I should go. The Goddess shouldn't be blocked much longer to you."

Before I could ask what he meant about the Goddess, he was gone.

There are times that I really hate myself for being what I normally am.

_The clock is ticking…_

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**Okay! Hope there are some things cleared up here!**

**I'll UD next week again!**

**Love lots,**

**Kate :-#**


	40. War, Wisdom and Ruffled Feathers

**What I have done was completely unforgivable and I understand if you want to surge in my house with burning torches and pillage until I had nothing left. If you're in for reasons why I haven't updated, DON'T. If you want constant news about my writing process in FF, add my Facebook account (on my FF profile). It's a long list of work, what I did these past three months or so, and it's boringly burdening (even for you). Anyway, I know that you're seething to read this chapter. **

**Go on. Enjoy it.**

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**Chapter Thirty-eight**

**War, Wisdom and Ruffled Feathers**

"_I should probably go now, because the goddess is waiting._" I raved on and on. The air on the barely-lit deck smelled naturally of salt and water that I didn't really find as fragrant as before. It must be my dulled senses, I thought. My anger flared again. "Who the hell is he? Walking in on my life, and then telling me that he killed my sensei, and that he has pretended that he was he for almost a _fucking decade_!" I shouted the two words out, not caring if anybody heard me.

Stripped of powers, I still had a keen sense of my surroundings, if not only dulled ninety-five percent out of a hundred. I gripped the cold railing angrily, bowed my head and counted to ten. I really had some issues, anger or otherwise. This new me—_myself_—had quite a hot temper, utterly unlike the Slayer me who was as calm as a baby with a pacifier.

Ha. Pacifier. Vin Diesel. Big guy.

Speaking of big guys…

"_Dimitri_…" the wistfulness in my voice made me think twice if I had really been angry just a second ago. The dull weariness of my palms and fingers told me that my feathers had been ruffled in a raging kind of way.

_Like Achilles._

I jumped out of my bones. No, not really, but you get my point.

"Uh—chilies?" my response (well, you can't really count that as a response, I suppose) was a little _out-there_.

_Yes. Your temper._

"Did my mind just talked to me?" I asked myself out loud, and immediately, I felt annoyed and chagrinned. It wasn't like it was the first time that I was hearing voices inside my head. Why the hell was I even surprised at this, anyway? I was supposed to _be_ the end of the world, right? All people who ends the world is out-of-their-mind crazy, of that I was sure. And I was a hybrid of Strigoi and dhampir, which, I thought, was so unlikely now that I didn't have anything special within me. Right, I was in the middle of a damning proscription that I had no hope of overcoming.

_You shouldn't be so pessimistic, child._ The voice—which was deep, but clearly feminine—chided.

I rolled my eyes, and looked ahead of me. One night left, and I would be at Czech Republic. And Dimitri would be gone with Tasha. Just the thought of them together gritted my nerves and sparked—no, not sparked, but blazed—blazed anger inside me that I found myself clutching the railing again, trying to reign down the berserker rage that snapped within me. It was hard, so very hard because I couldn't get the images of those wintry blue eyes and warm brown eyes smoldering together off my head. I could feel my body shaking from the restraint of throwing myself off my railing and onto a certain room where I could choke a life out of a raven-haired Moroi. My senses changed then, they turned a little more sensitive than before. It was like I had half the percent of my powers back now, which I found nearly satisfactory. A slow smile spread on my lips, but I didn't feel any humor at all.

I was horrified at my thoughts. They had gone so…so…_murderous_.

No, it wasn't the simple throttling of Tasha I was imagining, but it was something else. Something darker. Evil.

Suddenly, I felt the wind go stronger than before and it ran through my body as if I was falling. I _was_ falling. I knew it because I couldn't feel whether my heels were on the ground of not, nor were my hands clutched on the cold iron railings. I was flying. I breathed in slowly, savoring the smell of the sea, and opened my eyes. It was the color of the sea before it rained.

My supply of oxygen was cut off. The word _asphyxia_ came to my mind when I struggled to gulp in a lungful of oxygen to absolutely-no-way-in-hell avail. My instincts kicked in, and I didn't panic. Even when a shock of frigidness swept through my body. I knew better than to panic, and the murderous thoughts were gone now, replaced by normal ones. And by normal ones, I meant, why wasn't I breathing, or maybe I had fallen into a deep pit of pure ice like the Fortress of Solitude in Superman.

And like I was being toyed, I could breathe again. I gasped in mouthfuls of air, and put a hand on my rapidly beating heart. I have never experienced this kind of speed of the heart, it was so unnerving. The beating of my heart was almost painful, but nothing Rose Hathaway the Normal Girl couldn't handle.

Goddamit, I thought with bruised pride, was I _this_ clumsy when I'm _normal_? I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the thought that I fell off the cruise and into the ocean. The thought was so stupid, I nearly laughed.

It took me a while to notice that I wasn't anywhere near the ocean, nor was I…_anywhere_. The place was all black, black and endless black. The back of my neck tingled for a second, and then disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

"Child, I did not mean to frighten you. I meant well." A woman's voice sounded out of nowhere and it did that echoing sounds like I was in a dungeon. It was likely that I was in one, considering my present state. Maybe I was trapped inside my head.

I tried to speak, but it came as a cough. I cleared my throat and looked around me, trying to find the speaker. No one was anywhere. I was the only one in the Room of Unending Blackness. Seriously, the title I gave fits.

"Where am I?" my voice sounded raw like I had drank too much Russian vodka or saltwater.

Just as soon as the words left my mouth, the Room of Unending Blackness was gone, and I was in a room surrounded by countless of dull white columns with intricate carvings of owls and weapons. It was like being inside a mini Parthenon with only newer and well-maintained columns, floors, and everything. _And_ it was surrounded by trees. Olive trees, I noticed. How Greek-mytho-like.

"You're in my temple." Now that I could hear the voice well, it sounded cold and empty and utterly bored. Her boredom was nearly infectious.

I looked up to see the greyest of all grey eyes I've ever seen.

Names ran through my mind, and one stood out of the rest.

"Artemis. You're Artemis." I said, almost incredulous.

The bored grey eyes seemed to harden, and then it softened as her pretty lips turned up to one side. It was a smile, but it wasn't. "No, child." She said, her voice losing some of its bored edge. If the woman was capable of expressing feelings, I thought she was amused. "I am Athena, Goddess of War and Wisdom."

"Aren't you the Goddess of the Moon? I mean, your shield has an owl on it. Isn't an owl a night creature?" I was barely aware of my own words. In my mind, I was reeling. What did I do? What happened to the cruise? What the heck am I doing here?

Athena's slightly upturned lips, thinned and straightened. Although the tilt of her lips disappeared, it looked as if the goddess was being wry.

"It is true that the owl is a night creature, but it is not bound only to one abode, such as the night." said the goddess with a sage look on her face. Of course, she's the Goddess of Wisdom, after all. She should look like that always.

I didn't say anything. I _couldn't_ say anything.

"It is like you, child." she said slowly, as if she was afraid I wouldn't catch up what she was saying.

"Like me." I repeated.

She nodded, her dark blond hair tumbling to her shoulders. "You are an offspring of both light and darkness, an outlaw, yet here you are, trying to save the world in your own little ways."

Outrage filled me. "_Little ways?_" I snapped, looking up at her.

The Goddess's cold look turned even colder, but she ignored my harsh response. "You are born a warrior, I see. A slayer."

"I was." My voice turned bitter, and I relaxed my back because that entire sitting ram-rod straight was killing my newly human body. Or dhampir. Whatever, I didn't know what I was.

"Much like Achilles, you, without the choice. You only slay those creatures just to avenge your mother, one thing that is in odds with Achilles." The Goddess looked almost thoughtful as she tapped one finger to her lower lip.

The name Achilles sounded familiar. Brad Pitt kind-of-familiar. Brad Pitt. Big guy. Dimitri Belikov. Hotter than Brad Pitt himself. Queue for anger and wistfulness to control me. I didn't say anything to the Goddess.

"A fellow god of mine, Phoebus Apollo, the God of Light and Prophecies has declared that—"

A dark feeling crept into me. I knew where this was headed.

"—a particular woman warrior, offspring of two opposing subjects, is the bringer of death and famine to the world, and so is she the bringer of light and peace."

I felt weary and perplexed all at the same time. I didn't know where this was headed. First, I was the _reason_ why the world would end, and then, I would _be_ the end of the world, and now _bringer_ of death and famine, and peace and light. How…_perplexing_ is that?

Suddenly, I felt so tired. So tired, it felt like I was going to die and never wake up again. I hoped that would happen.

"I must say, being the bringer of two antonymous things is quite burdening."

I snorted and gave the Goddess of no-shit look.

"It is said that the woman warrior, after she has unleashed the full power that what was within her in a _particular_ place," I didn't miss the way she enunciated _particular_. "she is given a choice, much like Achilles', only that it would be to bring life or death to said Earth."

"You don't have to talk in third-person about me. I'm that bringer-girl." I told the Goddess in a voice I didn't notice that was mine.

The Goddess gave me a small smile, but still, it wasn't quite a smile. I was starting to realize that the Goddess had no sense at all.

"Of course, from what you have learned from my two favorite warriors, the Winchester brothers, and your Queen's oracle, you must know that you play a significant role back at Earth."

"Sam and Dean? Oracle? Back at Earth?"

The Goddess raised a patient hand to me, keeping me from saying anything anymore. "Yes Sam and Dean are my favorite warriors in this time. They are much like you too, they fight to avenge the death of their parents." The Goddess seemed to tick off items with her fingers. My mind reeled. TMTH—too much to handle. "Your queen's oracle, or you can call them in Balkan terms, _vrăjitoare_." The word slipped out of the Goddess's lips awkwardly. "And, yes, back at Earth because we are in Olympus, home of the Greek Gods and Goddesses."

"Wait." I help up both my hands to stop her. "You're saying that—" I gave her _the _look, and she nodded. I brought my hands to my face and rubbed it, hoping the weariness, confusion, and everything would go away. "Oh, no…" I moaned.

I stayed like that for a while, and I felt something soothe my hair. I looked up and saw that the Goddess was sitting beside me on the floor, smoothing my hair like she would do on an owl's ruffled feathers (note the double meaning). I didn't know the Goddess for long, but I knew enough of her to think that this (touching my hair) was a stretch for her.

"I didn't mean to upset you, child."

"You didn't." I told her and mustered up a bitter smile.

She didn't return my smile but I could see her eyes soften. "That is what I like about you. You have a strong will, you never sway on your decisions, whether it is wrong to the others. You are not afraid of being judged, you just do what you want to do. You remind me of someone."

"Really." It wasn't a question.

Athena leaned back on her temple's column. "I brought you here in Olympus for a purpose." she said in a calm voice. "Your destiny is too big to ignore. If you were to choose now, between bringing life of death to Earth, what would you choose?"

"Isn't it obvious? Of course, I would pick life."

"Yes, you would. But it is not that easy." she said and looked at me, an almost grave look on her ethereal face. "You should know better than to plan ahead of yourself, child." I hate being called a child, but I ignored it. And she was right, I did know better.

"Why is it hard? The 'choosing'?" I asked her.

"You should know that there are temptations that we cannot resist. Your fatal flaw, as you call it."

"My fatal flaw is temptation?"

"No, but the temptation will be your fatal flaw. You were too perfect when you had your powers, before you decided to go to school like a normal teenager. That led to temptation, right? The way you defeated your gym partners on that fight? You fought with them like that because of the temptation, the hunger to overpower, _not_ your natural response to battle. You did things that were not acceptable to the code of ethics, child. That was what brought you close to being proscribed.

"Your guardian, Bounty Hunter Shoji, was foolish to send you to the school of mortals."

"They're Moroi. They're the closest thing I have in common."

Athena's gaze sharpened. "You are nothing like them, Rosemarie, remember the reason why you are at that world. "

I hated, hated my life now. And Athena just confused me more. _And_ she called me Rosemarie.

"Yeah. Can I go back to that world now? Without me, maybe the world is burning to crisps right now."

"Of course. But you must remember what I told you. Your fatal flaw will be the temptation, you mustn't be distracted by simple things such as enemies, and trust is not a luxury you can afford easily."

How cryptic. How cryptic indeed. "What do you mean about not trusting?"

"You should not trust people, even when you insist that they are trustworthy." The Goddess stood up to her full height. That was the first time I noticed that she was just as tall as Dimitri. Oh, man. Athena raised one hand and placed it on my forehead.

The last words I heard were "Follow your instincts" or something like that.

Everything was black again. I was back in the Room of Unending Blackness, and it was as if I was being pulled back. It was as if I was tethered to the air harshly, unlike before, I wasn't falling. I was pulled upward, each pull taking me away like o hundred feet away from the blackness. The pulls were in tempo with the beat of my heart. Three pulls later, the feeling was getting obnoxious. And then, my lungs were blocked again. My throat was raw, and then I started coughing. I coughed out blood. And then sea water.

I opened my eyes, absolutely relieved that I could see the perfect blue sky with puffing clouds. And it wasn't cold, unlike before. It was warm and welcoming. And sucked in deep breaths and heard voices.

"Rose, Rose! What the hell were you thinking! Jumping out of the water! Are you so excited to go to Czech that you didn't even think that you could have killed yourself?" The voice nudged memories of wintry blue eyes and raven hair in my head.

Now, fully aware of where I was, I groaned. It wasn't just the fact that I was being chastised by Tasha. It was that I was all wet and many people, unfamiliar and familiar, were milling around me, staring curiously at the infamous Rose Hathaway. I wish that I would have just drowned there, I was so embarrassed.

"Rose, fuck!" I heard Mia curse.

"Oh my God, Rose!" It was Lissa.

I could hear rapid footsteps come toward me, and then some "get out of the way" and warm hands were touching me.

"_Thy bringer of matters shan't go anywhere before matters are undone_." I quoted as if it was from a book, but, truly, it just popped in my head.

"Shut up, smartass." Mia hissed, but I could hear her voice soften.

"Rose, what did you do to yourself?" Lissa was asking.

I opened my (again) closed eyes and peered up at the people surrounding and gave them the bird.

"Fuck off, you insolent freaks." Most of them were dhampirs and Moroi, so I knew that they knew really tell that I was being serious.

Almost immediately, the crowd scuttled off like behaving sheep. A few stood by, and I realized that they were friends of mine. Except for one. Salvador was one of the people-crowd. He had a strange look on his face, and when he caught me looking at him, he held up a hand as if to wave.

I nodded at him and gave him a weak smile. I looked around the people and saw Adrian, with a clove cigarette, leaning back on the railing, looking at me with evident concern. And then the last two, Tasha and Dimitri, who were hand in hand. Dimitri, who was wet from head to toe, looked at me with a blank expression, but I knew him enough to think twice. Tasha, who was saying something to Dimitri while patting him, was semi-wet, too. It looked like the duo saved me from drowning.

My pride and anger rose. "You shouldn't have jumped in after me. I was completely aware of what I was doing." I said, and stood up and walked up to Dimitri. I could hear Lissa and Mia scrambling after me. "But, alas, you _did_ jump after me." I said, directing the words at Dimitri. "So what if the tables were turned? I certainly won't be jumping after a person who intends to leave. It's better to lose them once than twice, right?"

With that, I did a full one-eighty and stomped off. Talk about dramatic exits.

_You're lying to yourself again, Rose. _A voice, which wasn't Athena, said.

_You know that you'd jump after him without any hesitation._

The voice—the voice from the night before (the "conscience") — was right. I would have jumped without second thoughts if it were Dimitri who fell. And just the thought of Dimitri falling almost had me chuckling.

Lissa and Mia's arms snuck to both my arms and they leaned against me.

"Let's go to our room. We're five minutes away from Czech."

Now that they mentioned it, I realized that we weren't surrounded by the sea. We were surrounded by land, a very big island. No, it wasn't an island. It was Czech Republic.

"Welcome to Monster Central." I murmured to myself and walked faster with Lissa and Mia trotting with me.

"How long was I out?" I asked them.

"You fell for just a second before Guardian Belikov jumped in."

A second? It was still night when I last remembered falling out of the cruise.

"It took Dimitri time to get to you, but eventually, he did. Twenty minutes later, that is." Lissa said.

"Twenty minutes under the water, Rose. You shouldn't be alive." Mia said bluntly.

I looked at both of them, wishing I could tell them what happened to me on those twenty minutes. But I couldn't. I remembered Athena's words that trust isn't a luxury I could afford easily.

"I don't know, guys. But it's a miracle I'm alive."

They gave me doubtful looks.

_Remember: Trust is not a luxury you can afford easily._

_

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_

**So I did update. Unlike BS, I haven't updated for, er, seven months? It's annoying, I discovered that I have low attention span, then I almost gave up on DDG. But don't worry guys, with all your support and exasperatingly effective prodding via-review, you made me update. Thank chimney and Lucia Rayne (Jazzy) for that.**

**I'm not sure when I'll update, but it will be soon. Periodicals' next week and I'm going to go brain-storming with my study group.**

_**Au plaisir.**_

**Kate :))**


	41. This Needs To Be Read

**I know all of you are confused. I am too, and it's not a good sign. So, before I get this on and answer some of your questions, let me thank those reviewers who made me realize how much of an asshole I was for cutting this story short. Thank you so much, and I am so sorry. I've just been trying to recollect my life (or what's left of it), and do what I do best. Unfortunately, what I do best is not making plots, but I can write. I hope I can finish this story up, like I did to my former new story.**

**To everyone: you must have this constant nagging in your head as to what really Rose is in this story. She's a versatile being, and she is somewhere in between being evil and good. She has two destinies, but only one shall she complete. Whether she chooses to go with the bad guys (I still can't tell you who the bad guys are because it will be a really big spoiler), or just following the right path which is presented to her. But obviously, choosing the right path is almost impossible, given her situation of being proscribed, and maybe possessed with some kind of smart-ass non-conscience.**

**Everyone had been dying to know what happened to Drake and Rose. It's some kind of mind game in Drake's part, and he'll be playing a slightly major role in the next chapters. Don't worry, he and Graceling won't be gone too soon. I'm enamored with them.**

**The Goddess thing. Yeah, about that…I just wanted a little advice from the goddess of wisdom for Rose. Her head was in such turmoil, and I wanted to smooth it all out but in the end, she just turned out more confused than before. And probably most of you, too.**

**And about our Roza and Dimitri. Don't worry. The road might be rocky, but they'll make it through. Let's just hope Tasha dies, alright? LOLz**

**So, I'm writing the 49****th**** chapter, but I'm not sure whether I'll update immediately. Writing is hard, but it's amazing. It cures much heartache.**

**I know you're all annoyed and mad at me right now, but I hope that you have it in your heart to forgive me. I make mistakes, too.**

**And before I forget to mention, the next chapter would be in Dimitri's POV. I'll be putting up the chapter maybe tomorrow. I'm still writing. And ATTENTION: there is a story called Lovely Isn't Lovely, which is, you might notice, very similar to DDG. The author has made it clear that she has gotten the idea from this story, so no further reports are necessary. **

**So, this is me, basically going out on a limb by updating DDG, which has been untouched and undisturbed in many months. And also read my other VA fanfic, When Lightning Strikes. It didn't get as much attention as this story. And I thought WLS was better-written. Drop by at my profile and check out WLS!**

**Thanks Muchos.**

**xoxo**

**Katya**


	42. A Peek Into His Mind

**I know that I said that I'd update tomorrow, but I finished earlier than I thought! And here it is! Quite long. I hope you will all enjoy this, if someone's still reading. I'm just going to give a shout-out to I AM DHAMPIR, iamalphagirl, tracymarie, my 2 guys, chris1204e, machee, Ashes2Dust18, Fee-sha14, Mrs. Rosemarie Belikov, Destiny, mulayhna, and all those other awesome supporters who were so sad about the hiatus note.**

**I love you guys.**

**ENJOY :D**

**WARNING: This might have content that you might want to be warned about. D/T axiones**

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**DPOV**

"Dimka!" As groggy as I was, I managed to pry my tired eyes open onto the new day. My first sight was the color of ice blue. And long black lashes. They were eyes. Tasha's eyes, to be exact.

With a poor imitation of a southern accent, she said, "Good morning there, cowboy." and, completely surprising me at her boldness, straddled her legs on my hips with a long morning kiss. I kissed her back half-heartedly and cooperated with the early-morning routine, but she didn't seem to mind that. Tasha's hands started roaming, and found its way to my fly.

That was when I stopped her. I pinned her arms, and I quickly got off the bed, rubbing the sleep—and hopefully, her scent—off my face. I knew that I shouldn't be affected too much by my departure from Rose, because, hell, she was the Slayer and she had lied to me, and all. But—there it was—the but. There were always buts when it came to Rose. She was like limbo, not top or bottom, but somewhere in the middle. Just like she was a shade of gray in the world full of black and white.

I never understood her, and I thought I never would. I've found myself mesmerized, and a couple of times, fascinated by her actions and reactions. I always caught myself keeping an eye on her more than usual, but I pegged that it was curiosity. No longer than a month, my chest would feel quite hollow without her presence. And that was when I realized that I was one wrecked mentor.

And when I gathered and matched the perpetual puzzle that was her, I _knew_ that I was wrecked _for good._ The Slayer, the proclaimed Destroyer of the world, and Abomination was her. Rosemarie Hathaway. My _Roza. _And, by some morbid twist of faith, the holder of my heart.

"Dimka, what's wrong?" Tasha's voice cut through my thoughts at the moment. I looked at her and she looked…_dejected_. Suddenly, remorse filled me. I couldn't believe that I was using Tasha, my friend, as a one-way get-away street from my problems. Specifically, Rose being the Slayer, and my boss, The Queen Tatiana, wanting the Slayer's head on a plate. My problems weren't a nice combination, but as long as I was out of their lives and sight, I could keep them safe.

I _would_ keep them safe.

I sighed and rubbed my face again, mumbling something inappropriate in my native tongue.

"I'm sorry, Tasha. But my mama told me that it was best to bed a woman after marriage." I mumbled, looking into her eyes, which were starting to feel with tears. It was a lie, but it was a lie perfect for my current situation.

She let out a half-laugh half-sob while she wiped away a tear that feel from the corner of her left eye.

"Chivalry. Really, Dimka?" The look of dejection was gone, replaced my genuine amusement. "I thought that has died a hundred year ago?" she asked rhetorically and buttoned her shirt up.

I hadn't noticed that her shirt was gaping, showing off the mounds on her chest called breasts.

I looked away, hoping she didn't notice that I've peeked, but she was too smart to fool. She caught me looking and gave me a come-hither smile. Nervously, I swallowed, and told her I'd make coffee.

"Make that two," she called out as she stepped into her cruise room's bathroom. "We're about to land in two hours."

My heart dropped at this news, having to know that I'd be leaving Rose sooner than I'd thought. I was selfish enough to think that I'd have enough time to sate myself by stealing glances at her beautiful face, but I was wrong.

My mood was as bitter as the coffee I made.

***2 hours later***

I wasn't able to catch a sight of Rose on the cruise while I strolled around, and I wasn't too happy about it. When I went to my room to get my things (the island we were landing on was about a mile away in nautical sense), I couldn't help but think over and doubt my plan. No, I knew that I was good, and this self-sacrificing plan would, hypothetically speaking, fix most of the problems.

When we were on the docks, and the cruise had landed, I stopped on the stairs that led to the land of the Republic of Czech. The land where I was going to finally leave the girl I loved. I looked around the place. The place wasn't so special, and held no interest to me, but I didn't know that this place could bring much pain to my chest.

I sighed again, pulling my hair into a tight ponytail. That was when I caught sight of Rose. She was with Princess Vasilisa and Mia Rinaldi, along with a couple of their friends. To inexperienced eyes and minds, they would have looked like the ordinary teenagers messing around with each other. But me analyzing like I always do, saw through them. Or to be more specific, saw through Rose.

She looked haggard, like she had run a marathon ten times and was sleep-deprived while doing that. The smile she had on her face wasn't completely plastic, but not sincere, either.

She probably felt the scrutiny that I was giving to her because her trained eyes searched around until they found mine. For a second, she just looked into my eyes like nothing had happened. Like she was still my student I was secretly crushing on, and she was the oblivious yet flirtatious student and recipient of my love. It sounded so cheesy and unlike me, but Rose always brings out the cheese in me.

Her dark eyes—which, I knew, were contact lenses—betrayed half of her emotions and glittered for a moment before she cut off the connection. Setting her eyes on my shoulder.

"Dimka! Oh, gosh, I thought you left me!" I heard some baggage thrown and Tasha's arms went around me. I would have thought that this reaction from her was just unlike her, but I've gotten the impression quite a long time ago that Tasha was over-bearing when it comes to people leaving her.

A smile broke out from my face, almost mechanical at the way they just seem to be always there with her. I wrapped my arms around her in that same mechanical way and reassured her that I wasn't about to leave her this soon.

She laughed it off, wiping a couple of stray tears from her eyes, and slapped me on the arm.

She seemed stronger than she looked.

Silently and mournfully, I watched as my Roza walked away, my chest constricting. I didn't know that it hurt this much to watch somebody walk away.

***Later that day***

Tasha and I were staying in a nice and secluded suite in Loket, Czech Republic with the queen and other Royal Moroi who decided that coming to the Czech Republic was the best way to relax. They weren't disappointed, byt the way their chatter and laughter bounced in the walls like echoes in a cave. The resort was secluded enough to carry their voices around the place. They were talking about some wage that they were expecting to jack up. On the other side, the spoiled Royal Moroi brats were talking about their extraordinary experiences in a listless manner that drove me to the conclusion that they were too tired or maybe just too lazy to talk.

I stood on the wooden porch, my stance of a trained and alert Guardian rather than a relaxing man's. I roamed my eyes from place to place restlessly. It had just stopped raining, and the trees and plants surrounding the place was moist. It smelled like nature. Relaxing and compelling. But there was no way to make me relax. All the peace of mind I had was with a girl. A girl I loved, but fate forbade us to be together.

But do I believe in fate? In destiny?

"Dimka," Tasha's called me from behind.

I tried to look relaxed when I looked back at her, plastering the ever-ready smile for her.

She frowned at me and put the tray of china tea pot and cups on the table, and strode towards me. I was surprised at her hug. I did not know what that was for.

"Don't you know how to relax?" Her question, I think, was rhetorical.

I closed my eyes, but didn't have the heart to embrace her. "I've been trained to be alert and ready to fight at all times. So, this is slightly a new ground for me." I told her.

"Don't worry, Dimka," I flinched at her use of my nickname. I didn't really like that nickname Russia has dubbed me and other Dimitris out there. "The hotel is warded, and there are Guardians on their shifts now, so your worries are unneeded." She reassured. Her hug was kind of comforting, and I started to relax. But then, she started massaging me.

I pulled away, and I saw her come-hither smile that she frequently had on with me.

I didn't acknowledge it, but pointed at the piece of paper that came with the tray.

"What's this?" I picked it up and read it.

_The Queen Tatiana requests you and your partner's presence in her chamber._

_Royal Guards already informed of your presence._

There was no signature, which was a little odd. I thought letters from the queen were always formal. Sent in with a guard, an envelope with stamp and a sign from the queen herself.

"A rather informal invitation, I suppose." Tasha said nonchalantly with the shrug. She poured herself a tea.

"Who's this from?"

"Priscilla, I guess." The nonchalant looked a little too nonchalant.

"So, you're on first name basis now?" I asked like it was not a big deal.

She frowned, her look pensive. "You can say that," she nodded, taking a sip from her cup.

"How long are they expecting us?" I asked.

"Oh, about an hour. Which reminds me. We should get ready." She said distractedly, and strode toward the closet.

"I'm surprised that the Queen Tatiana can unpack this quick to invite visitors over." I noted.

She looked through her half-full closet for a dress, and finally extracted a black and white dress with one shoulder. I didn't really know what it was called, and frankly, I wasn't interested. **(Pic of Profile) **I just wanted this thing to be over with so I can…what? Ponder about life? Think about how the world is falling on me? Ah, well, read a good book. And go to the gym. That sounded right. But it didn't feel right.

"The queen doesn't unpack. She has her own workers to do that for her." She told me like it was the most common thing in the world.

I cocked up a brow. "How do you know that?"

Tasha rolled her eyes at my apparent suspicion. "She's a queen. It's probably common knowledge."

"But still, a queen as untrusting as Tatiana wouldn't let one person except her adviser and guards near her." My rebuttal was well-said.

Tasha just shrugged and tossed me a suit.

I looked at it questioningly, wondering how she got me a suit so fast. "I have a suit," it wasn't a question.

Tasha was busily fishing for something in her closet. I noticed anxiety in her movements. "You know how often I go to formal parties and meetings. On special occasions, I'd like you to come with me, of course." Her tone was too elusive for my liking.

Whatever Tasha was keeping, I hope it didn't involve Rose. Or the Slayer.

An hour later, after complying on Tasha's wish for a short five-minute "hot and steamy make-out session," we casually strolled down to the presidential suite where the queen stayed. I wasn't completely repulsed by it, since I loved Tasha like a friend would love a friend. It was just that—there was no spark. Not unlike Rose's kiss. It set me on fire like we were crossing in the raging hell—but we didn't care if it set us literally alight. While Tasha's were just like a splash of cold water—always reminding and taunting me about how I've wronged my morals by using her. How I've wronged _her_.

I told myself to divert to another plan, but no plan was better than this one. And I was too foolish to say that maybe, just maybe, I'd grow feelings for Tasha—like I did with Roza—given only time.

But despite that veiled fact, I can still breathe and live with myself as long as I knew Roza was safe on her own. And that nobody was poking and prodding at her Slayer self.

She was worth it. Roza is worth the sin I've let myself in. I've set my morals aside for Roza within a heartbeat. And that didn't sound good.

"Dimka, why so tense?" asked Tasha with a worried tone. She stroked my arm, comforting.

I wasn't comforted, though. I had a bad feeling in my gut that there was something about to happen. But you just didn't have enough credibility and proof to recognize it as truth.

"Uh, Tasha, do you mind if I go to the men's room for a while?" was my poor attempt of stalling.

She pulled my arm. "There is a men's room in the queen's suite. You can go there." She said with a bright smile.

Maybe it was nothing. Tasha has lost her odd pensiveness. Maybe it was nothing. I tried to set aside my worries, and tucked Tasha's hand in my arm where I found it comfortable.

Not a moment too soon, we were on the queen's door, and the Guardian on guard held it open for us.

My first reaction was, we were dressed too formally. I should have thought better than to let Tasha choose a suit for me. I preferred my duster and jeans, rather than expensive suits and Italian shoes.

The queen, sitting on a brocade loveseat, was dressed in a navy skirt and a blazer, looking more like a business woman than a monarch. On her side was her close friend and adviser, Priscilla Voda, whose blond hair was laced with silver just on the roots. She, too, was wearing a suit similar to the queen's.

Dotted on the sides were Guardians, all dressed in black and white. Silent and menacing. Waiting for someone to strike.

"Queen Tatiana," Tasha and I bowed to the queen.

The queen acknowledged us with an icy smile. "Natasha Ozera. Guardian Belikov. We seem a bit too underdressed for this occasion." The queen hinted, looking at Tasha from head to toe.

"Oh, no, you're not, my Queen." Tasha smiled, her confidence shining. "Well, you know, my queen, I always like to look my best around you."

Tatiana raised one dark brow up. "Is that so?" there was no tone in her voice, but the disinterest was clear. Who knew that the queen could be this cold?

Priscilla Voda chuckled on her seat, and gestured us to sit down. "Please, sit down. We have a few things to discuss." She uttered with a crisp English accent.

While Priscilla Voda was all smiles, the queen was monotonous. Almost unemotional, if not for that one tilting of her lips when her friend noted something about Nathan's—Adrian Ivashkov's father—supposed run-down with a unicorn.

Tasha was all polite. I was alert. Although nothing was suspicious.

"So, Guardian Belikov," The queen stated, her eyes set on me.

Tasha shifted uncomfortably at the _Guardian_ part.

"I heard that you have news about the Slayer." She started a matter-of-factly.

If I was surprised, it didn't show. "On the contrary, I don't have any information about the Slayer." I said firmly, almost honestly.

The queen cocked her head. "Is that so?" It's been the second time she said this, but now, the tone wasn't of disinterest.

"Would I lie to you, Queen Tatiana?" I was aware of Tasha watching me closely.

The queen looked at her adviser like they had a silent conversation going on.

Priscilla Voda gave one small nod, before she spoke up. "We know about you and Miss Hathaway's relationship. We are willing to let it go if only you tell us the information you are withholding."

My spine stiffened.

Tasha, on the other hand, went literally wild. She flew out of her chair and started shrieking. The queen and Priscilla shot her appalled looks, but didn't stop her.

"I knew that Rose had something to do with this! I thought you were just so attached to her because you were her mentor and all and you were so damn close, but I guess my suspicions were right! You were really together! Om my God! A girl like that should be sent to a blood whore community like where you mother lives, Dimka. She should live with all those blood whores!"

I wasn't into hitting girls, but what Tasha said had almost compelled me to do so. It was just that—her words—they were not like her. I never knew that Tasha was like this. The Tasha I knew was kind and patient, but this one—it disturbed me. _She _disturbed me.

Her eyes, glowing icy blue and madness plain on her expression as she babbled on, quickly shot from place to place.

One Guardian had stepped up to restrain her, but the queen stopped him.

The queen's gaze pierced mine again, her green eyes just as green as the other Ivashkovs. But hers held not that drunkenness, but of mischief and intelligence she was ready to use against one person.

The queen just stared at me for a moment, before Priscilla leaned into her ear and told her something.

I switched my gaze to Priscilla's lips, trying to read her lips.

And I understood. Two words: Compel him.

I knew that this wasn't good. Without hesitation, I flew from my seat, and strategized to find the nearest and safest exit. But that was across the room, which wasn't a choice. I decided to dive into the windows, but before I could even put one foot forward, I was already restrained by Guardians.

They were heavily muscled, but not as tall as me, so I had the advantage, but the queen, expecting my motives, had me on bounds on my ankles and wrists.

Tasha hysterically shrieked her defiance at the way I was treated, but didn't do anything to stop them. The queen merely hushed her, in fear of other Royals knowing what they were up to.

I tried to shout, but, I was silenced by a gag.

"I recommend that you cease and desist, Guardian Belikov. No one can hear you here. The echoes will not carry your voice around, nor will they help you. I am the queen and they will not disobey me like you had. Do you understand?" The queen asked me.

I saw the genuine truth in it, and I reluctantly nodded. The Guardian, who put the gag on, took the gag off and walked back to his station on the side of the room.

"_Pochemu vy eto delaete_?" Why are you doing this?

The queen just looked at me, but I knew she understood me.

"Now, for the interrogation." She said with finality. "I expect you to cooperate, Guardian Belikov, or else you will face…consequences." She said almost absently.

"_Chto vy govorite_?" What are you talking about? "_Vy znaete, ya nichego ne znayu_." You know I don't know anything.

"On the contrary, I think you have."

The queen had a weird but effective way of throwing your words back at you.

"If you'd just tell us, you'd get out of this alive. And no hard feelings." The queen tried to convince me.

I looked up at her. "Bull," I mumbled.

She sighed. "I didn't want to do this, Guardian Belikov, but you forced my hand." With incredible speed that I didn't know the queen had, she was on me, crouching in front of me, holding my neck in her hand. This might have looked comical if she didn't look too serious.

"Now, tell me about the Slayer." The queen said in a hypnotic voice. I was aware of her using compulsion, but now, I didn't care. All I cared about was Roza's safety.

"The Slayer is the bringer of death to the world, as you believe. But I don't see how that is true, she is helping us live more fully by killing our enemies before they strike us first." I told her.

"Very good. But I didn't ask for your opinion about it." she said carelessly. "Now, tell me about the most recent news you have about the Slayer."

I tried closing my eyes to block out the compulsion she was using, but it only made it stronger. I bowed my head at the pain it caused me oppose the compulsion. It was like my head was being drilled by thousands of mini drills all at the same time. My heartbeat sped up at the stress it caused me to defy, but the thought of Roza gave me the strength. I hoped that gave me enough strength.

The queen sighed. "Okay, if you won't tell us, fine. But I'm not sure that you're strong enough to defy this order now." She stood up, but kept eye contact with me. "I want you to kill the reason why you're here. If you're here against your will, then this person you're doing it for must be quite important."

I paled even more and I broke into a cold sweat. I always hated manipulations. And I always hated compulsion. Putting them together was just sick.

I shot a look at Tasha's direction.

Tasha panicked, assuming that she'd be the one to be killed.

I almost smiled at the morbidity of it all.

"Oh, he's still not compelled. Well, let's see this the logical way. He won't kill the reason why he's here, and he won't tell us anything about the Slayer. Therefore, I conclude, that the Slayer and the reason might be alike." Her eyes searched mine. "Is that true?"

I shook my head, but she saw through me. A smile spread on her face. "Finally, a direct answer."

Tasha, wherever she was, screamed in outrage at that news.

"And who _is _the person he cares so much about? Who is the reason?" I heard Priscilla Voda ask, while I tried to gather my sense of self.

The queen's tone was so casual, she could have just been talking about the weather. "Didn't we just talk about her? That Hathaway girl, of course."

"Are you sure?" they're voices started to fade away just like the room did.

For a moment, I just closed my eyes, to just evade from all the pain on my head, but when I opened my eyes, the room was dark.

"Dimka," Tasha's voice echoed around me.

I looked around, but knew better not strain too much. I knew that I was still bound.

"Tasha," my voice cracked.

"Dimka, I'm so sorry," she sobbed, but I couldn't see her. It was too dark, even with my dhampir vision.

I wasn't about to tell her that betraying me was alright. "Tasha, get me out of these, now."

"No," the sobs were gone, and a light flicked on. A red, blinking light. It was…entrancing…hypnotizing. My eyes strained to blink, but I could not. I couldn't even move. I knew this red blinking light. Scientists used them to try and entrance people and do as they will them to do. Tasha was trying to compel me. But not her ordinary compulsion. She was using psychological manipulation against my will.

"Dimka, I have to do this. You have tainted yourself with that Slayer. She has you tied around her finger. She can easily dispose you, as she sees it fit. But I can't let her do that. I must entangle you from this spell she had bound upon you."

I was about to disagree, but remembered that I was paralyzed.

"You have to kill her, Dimka."

I was afraid she'd say that, because now, nothing could stop this compulsion.

"Kill her, and come back to me, where you belong."

I felt her arms embrace me, and her face appeared, tear-streaked, pale, and scarred. On her hand, I felt cool metal. A knife, perhaps.

My eyes, unmoving and unforgiving, looked into hers.

"You will eventually get over her, and learn to love me." Were the last words I heard from her before the compulsion overwhelmed me.

"_Predatelʹ,"_ I said, before the darkness swallowed me whole.

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**Predatel, I think, means "traitor." And I don't speak Russian. So, I'm sorry for the mistakes. Corrections are welcome. :-D**

**I love reviews! It makes me motivated. And PLEASE read and review my other story, When Lightning Strikes. Just check my profile for it.  
**

**Xoxo,**

**Katya**


	43. Just My Luck?

**September, I think, is the progressive-writing month for me. I wrote this within less than a day. It is quite unusual for me, considering that I have short attention span at most things. Anyway, this is to make up for my very long absence. I'm updating earlier than usual. I didn't get many reviews on the last chapter, but I hope this one will be different.**

**ENJOY :D**

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**Just My Luck?  
**

**RPOV**

It was two in the afternoon when I decided that it was time to search for answers. Lissa, Mia and the gang except for Eddie and Mason—who were fascinated with playing Angry Birds on Lissa's laptop—and I was quite sure that nobody would see me sneak out of the hotel room. The outside was so crowded with people that no one would suspect that I've ran away. Or maybe they'll just think that I was off to somewhere to look for a little fun.

Underneath the dark military jacket I wore was a blank tank top, along with dark skinny jeans and light combat boots that were made for flying. When I finished clasping my necklace in place, I hurried to my bag and found the papers I practically stole from Dimitri's room without him knowing. The evidence that they got, the necklace like mine labeled Blansko, was also there, gleaming under the meager light that came through the windows.

I shoved all those things into a small pack, the papers making little noises as they were pressed together. I was indecisive whether or not to bring my iPhone, but remembering that I was merely human now, I brought it along, but keeping it silent, and dimming the brightness.

I left Lissa a not in her bag.

_I know what I'm doing. Just cover me, please, _I wrote down a couple of more important things and zipped back her bag just a little so she'll know that someone has went through her stuff. I hoped that they won't worry too much about me. Mia wasn't a person you wanted to worry, and Lissa is and will always be a plain wreck when anxious.

I allowed myself one last peek on their sleeping forms. Lissa and Mia were asleep on the same bed, facing away from each other, but were close enough to be touching. Christian was splayed on the sofa, softly snoring. Adrian was on the floor like he had no care where he slept, and I smiled at that. This may be the last time I'd get to see them.

I didn't like the way my eyes pricked with tears at that thought, so I silently exited the room, and eventually, the hotel without the Guardians knowing.

***Minutes Later***

It hasn't been an hour since I've been scouring around the city, I've already seen strange things happening. Like that back just a few blocks away, I saw a stout woman with super-long ears, and tilted eyes which reminded me of elves. I saw a hairy man with incredibly long and sharp nails. I got approached by a little with blond mane whose name was Alice. _And _I saw couples necking. Wasn't that just great?

And I had this really weird feeling of being followed. I would see a shadow walking behind me, but whenever I look back, there will be either a person walking by, or nobody. For short, I felt shitty paranoid. It wasn't a first, though.

Anyway, I evaded the craziness, since I had more important and pressing things to do. I walked down the street, and went straight into the woods just in the city of Blansko. I knew where I was going, and I had to follow the exact same route I had years ago, or else I'd get lost and never find my way back without my powers.

For about two minutes, I walked straight, and then on a large Oak Tree, I took a left, and then directed myself to south. This particular pattern was of supernatural sense that nobody, except sensei and I, could make sense of. Sensei had said it was something about the coordinates that made the direction seem magical, and not logical. A man could be lost and find his way with a help of a compass, but with this coordinate pattern, you could go anywhere your heart desired to be.

I directed myself 45 degrees to northeast, and then just behind a tree was my destination.

On the lush green grass stood a simple one story house. I went out of the forest and ran my way to the house, silently fearing that it may disappear or crumble to dust, as stupid as it sounded. When I was almost to the house, I doubted if there was still anyone living here, the way the windows were all dark and dusty. But I decided to try and knock.

I was about to give up knocking and break down the door (or just try to), when the lock on the clicked and the knob turned.

The look she had was similar to annoyance, but when she saw me, her eyes widened and she gasped.

"Rose?" she asked, not so sure.

"It's me, Syd." I confirmed. Sydney Sage and I have been, more or less, friends years ago when I last went here to Czech. She easily accommodated me despite the fact that I was a "creature of the devil" and Slayer.

"Get inside," she ordered, and practically dragged me in, closing and locking the door behind her.

Around me, her house looked pretty normal and not abandoned, unlike what it looked like outside.

"So, you put a spell on your house to make it look old and abandoned?" I asked her skeptically.

She rolled her eyes and sat on her sofa. "No, it's called art. Haven't you heard of that before?"

My eyebrows knitted together. "So you designed your house to look old _and _abandoned."

"No, I just didn't clean up for three fucking years." She said sarcastically.

"You sound sarcastic, but that's exactly what you did." I said a matter-of-factly.

She shrugged and drank a cup of coffee before handing me a cup of mine. "Thanks,"

"You know what happened a year after I helped you?" asked Sydney.

I was dreading that. "What happened?" I questioned, my voice a little too meek.

"There were a couple of those vampires that can go out into the sun who came here and asked not-so politely whether I've seen or cleaned for the Slayer."

I coughed on my coffee. "That's blunt,"

She shot me a "no shit" look before continuing her story. "And you're not even worried about that? Christos! Rose, if you weren't so smart, I'm sure they would've caught you by now."

"Was that a compliment?" I asked, rather rhetorically.

"And do you know what I did just to save your ass? I told a lie. Rose, I told a lie for you." She said it like it was the most evil thing in the world.

"Sydney," I chastised. "It's not like you seduced a devil or something. You did well by saving my ass. I owe you that." I told her.

"And they were saying something about a house massacre in one of the ruins in Blansko. And they showed me a necklace that looks exactly like yours now."

I stopped eating the donut she gave me, and swallowed. "What massacre?" I scrutinized her face, and it revealed no hint of dishonesty.

"They said there was a massacre in the Blansko castle ruins. There was fresh blood. Moroi, dhampir and human alike. They got it checked. And there was only one body recovered. It was deep in the woods near the ruins, but the cadaver dogs got the body. She was clean, no scratches, but drained of blood." While Sydney talked, I started reading the reports I've stolen.

On bold capital letters, there read a folder: **BLANSKO MASSACRE**

I opened the file, and was automatically welcomed by pictures of gore and blood. There were different kinds of blood splatters and dots, and it showed that they have hired a private blood splatter analyst to give them a little insight on what they up against.

There was also one picture that showed a bath tub full of blood diluted with water. I could almost smell the scent of blood—the mixture of rust and salt—on the pictures. It was very obvious that the victims had been through a lot of suffering. That was even an understatement, but I had no other words to describe it.

_The possible suspects of the massacre are the following:_

_The Slayer (still unknown)_

_Group of Strigoi_

_The Court has ruled out the group of Strigoi because the said massacre was proved to have happened during daylight. The primary suspect is the Slayer._

"This is bullshit! I didn't do any of this stuff. This is some human-Strigoi conspiration against me." I announced adamantly.

"That's what I thought too, but I didn't say anything. They might think that I was defending you, and that I knew something about the Slayer. I stayed quiet the whole time, only responding to my alibis."

_No bodies were recovered from the crime scene, but cadaver dogs found a body half a mile into the woods. The body was a Moroi of Royal descent, Liliana Tarus, and was found with no fatal lacerations. There were only two puncture wounds on the neck._

"Now I know that this is definitely not me. The report says that they found the body with puncture wounds, I don't even have fangs!"

"Yeah, and I heard that, I almost said that that was ridiculous." Sydney agreed.

I snapped the folder shut and closed my eyes. Seriously, I didn't need any more problems like this one.

***Hours later***

After I left Sydney's house with a few charms to "ward off bad spirits," I quickly went to the ruins to investigate for myself.

I got a strange feeling that I was being followed, but that was just me, being paranoid. Having no powers made me this way. Not that I was defenseless without my powers, I still had combat knowledge, but fists aren't going to be enough if you were against supernatural.

It was starting to get dark when I arrived at the castle, and it didn't fail to give me the creeps the way the sky turned blood red. I walked straight into the border that was a crumbling arch, and looked my way around the ruins, following my gut instincts instead of my sense of smell and sight this time. I had no such special capabilities now.

The floor and walls still had dark markings of the blood that was spilled here years ago. I sighed and touched the dark streaks, hoping that some miracle would happen if I touched them. No such thing happened.

I took my hand away and got in deeper the castle. It was already too dark, so I switched on my flashlight. It felt like I was on a ghost-hunting expedition rather than hunting down for clues to what killed those innocent people.

It wasn't long when I found a door, and felt that strange presence behind me again. I whirled around, promptly extracting one sharp throwing knife out of their hidden sheath in my brassiere.

My heart was beating fast, as I searched for the perpetrator. The perpetrator turned out to be a cat with incredibly pale green eyes. It was staring at me with utmost scrutiny, which really freaked me out.

It meowed.

I didn't realize that I've been holding my breath, and I exhaled, and breathed in, trying to control my erratic heartbeat. I patted my chest, and let myself to loosen up, and laugh a little. This thing should have been hilarious if my life wasn't in danger.

"Whew. It's just a cat." I told myself, and licked my lips nervously. I was standing in what seemed to be an unending hallway where the recent blood spatters were still visible on the walls.

I was scared, but I didn't acknowledge the fear that crept up to my nerves. There was no way in hell that I was going to be afraid now.

I continued to walk down the hallway when I started hearing things. I looked back again, and saw that the cat was following me, or following the light since it was going ahead of me. I wasn't bothered by that, but I knew that those sounds made weren't made by the cat.

I swallowed and tried to ignore the berating feeling that I wasn't alone, until I reached another door. I tried opening it, but it was locked again. But, unlike the other doors, this door had a hole on the wall above it. I decided to climb in, and looked for something to brace myself with. I found a large barrel and used it to boost me up. It was hard to fit inside, but eventually, I did.

I jumped to the floor with ease, and got the flashlight away from my mouth.

I've landed upon a medieval room, it looked like. There was an iron bed frame in the corner with spring iron mattress, and a totally empty room. What didn't make the room bare was the window in front of my big enough for a man Vin Diesel's size to fit in.

My heart tightened automatically, my stomach giving a hollow and uncomfortable flutter. I didn't know why it did that. Maybe I was hungry.

I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room with my flashlight. The stone castle walls were already rotten, hanging and nearly about to fall if just pushed with enough pressure, but from what I've done a while ago (climbing up the wall to enter the room), my weight wasn't enough to destroy them. Slowly and methodologically, I veered the light to the walls and onto the floor.

Five minutes later of scouring around the room and on the spring iron bed, I was sweating and was about to give up the search for the room when (as stupid and reckless as this sounds) I tripped on a brick parted from its place on the floor.

I landed on my ass, and managed to brace myself with my elbows before my head could make contact to the hard floor.

"What the fuck," I cussed, and dusted myself off, veering the flashlight to where I had separated the brick and the ground. There was a little moment that I just stood there, dumbfounded, but I regained myself and went on my knees, digging out the thing that I saw on the floor. Whatever it was, it was embedded on the floor—or rather, inside the floor—only covered by the bricks neatly like somebody had put them there on purpose. The bricks on top of it, too, weren't glued together, like they were just there to hide the…_book?_

I picked it up and dusted it off, reading the title of the book, but there was none. It was leather bound. And a little too thin to be a book. I opened it and flashed my light over, reading the page.

_Osobního majetku__ Sofyana __Nováčková_, it read. Great, it was in Czech, and obviously, one I couldn't understand. I flipped to a random page to get some kind of context of the "diary" and landed on the middle. I read the first line and it said: _Lhal jsem__, aby __moje matka__, když __se mě ptal__ démona __rituály._

I air-punched at the last two words. I may not speak Czech, or whatever language they spoke here, but I definitely know what _démona _and _rituály_ means. Demon rituals. It's just my luck that makes me literally tumble upon these things.

I put the diary into my pack, and started to amble across the room toward the door—equally happy to see that there was a knob, so I wouldn't have to climb again—when I heard a noise. Footsteps, it was clear. And whoever owned those footsteps wanted to be known that they were there. I guess my luck just ran out, so I quietly looked for another exit. The window was the only option, but I was high up the second floor. I thought about jumping, but I heard the knock on the door. Quickly, I braced myself on the window, ready to jump, when the person called.

"Rose, I know you're in there. It's me,"

My heart stopped, and drummed faster when I heard the voice. That accent. With my heart on my throat, I threw the door open, and there he was, Dimitri. He looked exactly the same except for his odd choice of wardrobe, but now, I didn't care if he was wearing a tux and not his duster.

I mean, for all I know, he could have ran away from he and Tasha's wedding to just come for me! It sounded insane, the way I made several excuses for the tux, but I didn't care. All I cared was that Dimitri was here.

"Rose," he said, and I literally jumped on him, embracing him with all I had, feeling like I'd never want to let go. He hugged me back, and brought my face toward his. We kissed. It wasn't our usual butterfly or passion-driven kiss—which made me a little curious—but this one, it lacked a little something in it. I heard a bang. It was the door closing, as he brought us inside the room.

He broke away from the kiss, looking into my eyes. I noticed the glassy look on them. The look was familiar, but I couldn't think clearly. Dimitri's scent was too heady for me to think clearly.

"When I saw that my files were missing, I knew that you took them." He said and nuzzled closer to me, running his hands up and down my torso.

This particular action gave me goose bumps, and reminded me that this was a little too bold of Dimitri. It was too late for me to react when he extracted my knife from my brassiere and held it against my throat, effectively pinning my hands, too.

"_Rrrrrooozzzaaa," _he drawled, his accent thicker than usual, and he nuzzled my neck, inhaling the scent of my hair.

I was a fool. The glassy eyes—I should have known the first sign compulsion. But I was too blind. I was completely overseeing the signs of it because he was Dimitri. I thought Dimitri was unstoppable that even compulsion was useless toward him, but I guess I was wrong. So wrong. And I was seriously fucked.

Tears pricked my eyes, but I held them back. I tried to clear my head to make a good and safe exit.

I talked, distracting him, while I made my plan. "So, is it like this now, Dimitri?" I asked, my voice hard and betrayed. "After you left me for Tasha, you're going to kill me? Is this how this works?"

He inhaled deeply and pressed my back against him, tightening his hold. "I never wanted this, Roza." He said in that intoxicated voice he had. The knife that was held against my neck traveled down, skimming against my jacket. I was tense as hell, and he knew that. _He _enjoyed that.

I started to say something when I heard a very loud bang on the door. Dust particles were visible as it fell from the walls near the door to the ground and an ugly scream like some giant was reptile being tortured broke out just from outside. **(A/N: Like those weird screams in Supernatural intros)**

Dimitri, momentarily distracted from the noise, halted on his assault. I used that distraction to give him a textbook perfect back-kick, grabbing the knife and throwing it away. From my haste, I was able to grab the knife on the sharp side. My hand bled, but I didn't care.

He let out a guttural growl, and tried to get a hold of me, but I was too fast.

The door banged louder and the noise of the creature behind the door was like nails against the board—so ugly and gravelly it made me want to run away. And then the door broke open, and a creature—looking like a giant iguana with wings and hind legs—ran inside and knocked Dimitri off his feet.

I was torn between wanting to save Dimitri from the creature, but it looked like he was able to handle himself. He punched the hell out of the thing, but it didn't seem to be bothered by it. The iguana did something that really freaked the hell out of me. He breathed fire, his tongue flicking out as he did. The iguana was a dragon.

I turned my back against them and looked down at the window. I was ready to jump. People always said that muscles absorb the shock of the landing, but I couldn't help but doubt. I had enough muscles; maybe I'd survive the landing. I ignored the fear of dying and, without hesitation, climbed up and jumped out.

Only to be caught mid-air by the dragon. Or iguana.

I looked back and saw the face of the thing starting to morph into a more human face. And it looked terribly familiar.

"What the fuck? Drake? What the hell are you doing here? What did you do to Dimitri?" I was still asking endless questions when we landed in the forest. My eyes burned when I saw his nudity. I looked away, and cleared my throat.

"I bet you were the one following me around." I grumbled, while I heard him moving around, and dry leaves cracking. Thank God, I wasn't just paranoid. Somebody really was following me around.

"I had to follow you, Rose." he said quietly and he stopped moving around. "You can look now."

I snorted. "I'd rather look at mating iguanas than you naked."

"I am not in the state of nudity, Rose. I have already clothed myself." He said in an amused tone. "And I have pet iguanas back in our house. Would you like to see them?"

I rolled my eyes and noticed that my palm was still bleeding. I looked at it for a while, not knowing what to do before Drake came up to me and took my hand.

"Let me see that," he said and wrapped it around with a white cloth. I looked at him—the curly blond hair and the gorgeous sculpted face—as he tied the cloth around. I mentally cussed at myself for looking at him too long, but…damn…my luck couldn't be this good. I was confused at myself, my life, and the world.

He looked up to me, his eyes glittering emerald in the night.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, disturbing my musings.

"Do dragons always look like iguanas?" I asked instead.

A small, but slightly confused smile tilted his lips upward. "No. That was partly the dragon. I did not want to reveal all my dragon glory."

I snorted again—_dragon glory._ I tugged my hand away from his hold. He noticed it too, and let go.

"So, I'm going now." I said after the awkward silence.

His pupils did that elongating thing again. "You can't go,"

"This is me saying _adios_, Drake." I walked away, but he held my hand and spun me toward him. I shot him a WTF look.

"You can't go back to your friends in Blansko. The reason I've been following you is because Graceling had a premonition. She said that your queen already knows that you are the Slayer, and you are going to be executed at sight."

"Shit!"

"_Merde_," he agreed. "As much as I dislike saying this, but Graceling and mama wants you in our house's safety while you plan. We will accommodate you as much as possible." He said, his eyes shining and glinting as if he really did not like me near him and his family.

"You don't look too happy about it." I commented.

He looked into my eyes, and I know what he saw. The pale, washed-out eyes. "You are proscribed. You will only bring harm to us."

I nodded. "So, why are you helping?" I asked.

"Because mama says so. And I do not disobey my mama." Were his last words before a portal literally opened up and sucked us in.

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**Oh, mama. I wish I was Drake's mama. I'd be so happy. **

**I just want to make it clear that I do NOT speak Czech, and that I just translated that in Google Translate. Corrections are very welcome again.  
**

**What do you think about this chapter? Where is Rose and Drake going? What happened to Dimitri? Is Drake really following his mama's orders against his will? When will Rose get her powers back? Who murdered those innocent people in the ruins? Want to know? Ask in a review!**

**Thanks for reading this one!**

**xoxo**

**Katya**


	44. Chasing Pavements

**A little insight to Lissa's mind, shall we?**

**ENJOY :D  
**

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**Chapter Forty-One**

**Chasing Pavements**

**Special Chapter**

**Lissa Dragomir POV**

I had a strange dream last night. It was night, and I was inside and deep within a forest when I saw a girl. She was pretty, but she looked lost.

"Hey there, can I help you?" I had asked, reaching out my hand toward her.

She just looked at me with those wide and lost eyes, like there was no redemption left for her. I felt sorry for her, and stepped forward to her direction.

I didn't know what I did wrong, but the girl started screaming so loud I had to cover my ears. Her mouth, which had looked normal in size, was now so big, it looked like somebody was spreading it open. The once pretty face of the girl changed and then, scaring me, morphed into something else until she turned into an old woman with black lines that looked like veins on her face. Her eyes, too, were black.

After that, I woke up in a cold sweat, breathing irregularly and disgruntled.

"Fuck!" somebody cursed near me.

I caught Mason busy with my laptop. "Mason? What are you doing? It's—what time is it?" I patted my wild hair down and crawled off the bed slowly, not wanting to wake Mia up beside me.

Mason, looking guilty, blushed. "Um, sorry for waking you up, Princess."

I shook my head. "Yeah, it's okay," I looked around and saw Adrian sleeping on the floor, hugging a bottle of vodka and Christian on the sofa. I smiled at the two. But where was Rose? I looked around the room for her, but there was no sign of her.

"I'm playing Angry Birds," Mason noted with a small smile. "And it's seven in the evening. You should probably get dinner now. Eddie said that the restaurants would be crowded at this time."

I blushed when my stomach growled. I smiled at Mason. "Thanks for reminding me,"

"No problem," he said and continued playing.

"Where's Rose, by the way?" I asked him, looking around the room again. Her suit case was still there, so she might just be here. But knowing Rose, she could be anywhere by now.

Mason shrugged and looked around the room too. "I don't know. She wasn't here a while ago. Maybe she went to get dinner or something."

"Oh, how about Eddie?" I asked again.

He cocked his head to the other side of the large hotel room. "Right over the sofa there. Sleeping like a baby."

I went cold at this news. Rose was the only one not here. Oh, no, maybe something bad happened to her. Or maybe she got herself into trouble again. Or maybe she went scouting for answers on her own.

My eyes pricked with tears when I realized that she may have left me without saying goodbye. I shook my head and chided myself for being such a pessimist. I mean, Rose won't leave us without saying goodbye, right?

I went into the bathroom to change into some formal and unwrinkled clothes and brushed my hair. I went out and poked at Mia's sleeping form. I hope she wouldn't be making a fit when she wakes up. After two minutes, she woke up eventually, hissing and turning on the other side of the bed. I hushed her and told her about Rose's absence.

She cursed and jumped out of the bed, grumbling something about stupidity and stubbornness being complete synonyms. When she went out of the bathroom, she was wearing a peach-colored floral blouse and shorts. Her hair was down in tidy ringlets. I looked like a man with a dirty beard next to her.

"Mase, we're going to get dinner. Do you want anything?" I asked when we were on our way out.

He shook his head. "No thanks. Already had mine."

We closed the door and went down to the main lobby. There were several Guardians dotting around the place, none of them moving.

"Do you have any idea where Rose could be?" Mia asked quietly, looking suspiciously at one Guardian.

I shook my head, and smiled at the man on the elevator. "No, I don't. That's the reason why we're going down. We're going to investigate."

Her face lit up. "Like CSI?"

I nodded. "Yes, like CSI." We smiled each other for a while, before remembering why we were here for. "She's worth it, Mia." I said when I saw Mia's indecisive look.

She looked up to me, disgruntled. "Who? Rose? Of course she is. She's our best friend."

We stayed in comfortable silence. When we were on the ground floor, almost the entire lobby was surrounded by Guardians. They were marching around, looking everywhere. Some of them were running up the stairs and onto the elevator that we just left open.

Mia and I shot ourselves _the look_.

We tried to catch one Guardian's attention, and probably ask him some questions, but he just shook his head, not saying anything but clearly dismissing us.

"Princess Vasilisa, Miss Rinaldi. What are you doing out of your rooms? I thought we sent out notes that nobody should be out unless it's an emergency?" a familiar voice asked from behind us.

Mia and I looked back and saw the weathered face of Guardian Petrov. She had on her official Guardian attire, but lacked that fire in her eyes she usually had when on shift.

"We were going to get dinner," Mia answered smoothly, as if she wasn't lying. I was thankful that I brought Mia along. I wouldn't have been able to lie that carelessly.

Guardian Petrov _tsk_ed and sighed. "You're looking for Rose, aren't you?" she asked us.

"What? Us? Of course not, silly!" was supposed to be my reply, but again, Mia beat me to it.

"Of course! Have you seen her?"

Guardian Petrov shrunk. "No, but the court is searching for her." was her curt answer.

My heart dropped again. "Why is the court looking for her?"

"She has been proclaimed as the Slayer. The Guardian who posed as her mentor, Dimitri Belikov, confessed that she was the Slayer with solid proof gotten from her dorm in the Academy."

Mia nearly lost it. "What? Guardian Belikov? He—he's not—what do you mean _posed_ as Rose's mentor? He's not a what—a Guardian? Was he some kind of undercover spy or something?"

I put a hand on Mia's shoulder to help calm her down. The news was very shocking but I did not show it.

Guardian Petrov shook her head. "Guardian Belikov is not a normal Guardian. He is the queen's private investigator, as some of you like to put it. He was recruited as a Royal Guard, but excelled in other things, so the queen sent him to hunt for the Slayer—whom she thinks may be the cause of the world's end."

"This is impossible," Mia mumbled and leaned against me.

"But Guardian Petrov, do you think that Rose—I mean, the Slayer, deserves this kind of treatment?" I asked her, and her eyes shifted, lighting up a little.

"In my personal opinion, I think that the Slayer has done nothing but help us, but the queen begs to differ." was her automatic reply.

"But, assuming you have a choice, will you kill her on sight or not?"

"Within line of duty, I will. But given a choice—I probably won't."

"Probably?"

"There is still an unsolved case of a massacre here in Blansko, in which she is the primary suspect, but I cannot tell you more of it. It is classified information."

Our eyebrows rose at this news. A massacre? Certainly, Rose would have told us about that. And I was definite that Rose wouldn't kill innocent people.

A scratching noise broke out from the silence. It came from some kind of walkie talkie Guardian Petrov had on her shoulder. Much like the police's in the human world.

She replied something that sounded like an affirmation, and excused herself.

"I hope that this conversation is just between the three of us, Guardian Petrov." I called out.

She looked back, and looked at me for a while, before, surprisingly, nodding. "Do not worry, Princess Dragomir. I do not tell tales." With a slight inclination of her head, she strode off, heading to the corner of the lobby.

I sighed. "I guess we'll find some clues in the room. Maybe she left us something."

Mia agreed.

When we were up our room again, Mason wasn't playing Angry Birds anymore. Instead, he was sleeping next to Eddie's sofa on the floor. My laptop was safe on top of the coffee table.

I put a finger against my lips, signaling Mia to stay quiet. She nodded, and headed off toward the piano where Rose had been pressing different kinds of notes. I had teased her about not being able to play the piano, but she just shrugged it off, saying that she had no time to study such mundane things.

I went to the room and started scouring for something in her suit case. There was nothing unusual, except for a penlight and a first-aid kit. I was about to call Mia to the room when I noticed that my suit case was ajar. The zipper was halfway undone, and I quietly opened my bag. A piece of paper stood on top of the pile of clothes I had.

"What do you have?" I heard Mia ask from behind me.

I hushed her and gesture at the paper, and unfolded it.

_Lissa, Mia, I'm sorry for not telling you that I'm going away, but don't worry, I'm just going to find some answers and, luckily, solutions. Please understand that I'm leaving you out of this because I have to keep you all safe. You don't know what I'm dealing against. Hell, I don't even know what I am dealing against. But that's why I'm doing this. I'll be back as soon as possible, but if I'll be missing for more than 24 hours, follow these directions._

There was a complicated and intricate map she drew with coordinates, but one I nearly understood.

_But if you have a hard time reading and following coordinates, please use the compass that I put under your clothes. It's a special compass, one I use when I get lost in the middle of forests. It will lead you to a safe house in the middle of the woods. Just knock on the door, and tell the person who's in there that you're there for me._

_After you read, please cut out the coordinates, and burn the note. And don't worry about me. I know what I'm doing. Just cover me, please._

_Love you all,_

_Rose_

I closed the note and held it against my chest, my heart being madly. Only Rose could ever make me feel like I've ran a marathon with just a note.

"We'll wait for twenty four hours before we look for her?" I looked at Mia for confirmation.

She shook her head, and my heart dropped again. No way was Mia backing out now.

"We'll give her nineteen hours."

I sighed in relief, and we burned the note after cutting out the map and coordinates.

* * *

**Where do you think that that instruction goes? Will they be only chasing pavements by following Rose, or are they really able to pull something nearly impossible off? Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**And Lissa's dream was a death omen. Who will die? Or possibly die? Or maybe it was just a silly dream. Dunno, really. What do you think? Who is going to die?**

**xoxo,**

**Katya**


	45. The Demon Diaries

**Sorry for the delayed update! **

**If there are The Vampire Diaries and the Princess Diaries, there should be The Demon Diaries, right? Guess who the demon is! My love goes out to the awesome reviewers out there!**

**BTW, I'll be calling the blonde Drake (AKA Drake Jr.) just Drake. And the father will have a Sr. at the end. I hope you won't be confused.**

* * *

**Chapter Forty-two  
**

**The Demon Diaries**

**RPOV**

When we miraculously got out alive of that portal-slash-vortex, I saw that we were standing on the pavements toward a pretty extravagant manor with a very tall iron gates. With lightning and pitch black sky and haunting background music, the setting would have been acceptable in a horror movie.

Drake landed silently beside me and pointed at the manor.

"We go there," he said concisely. He was too quiet when we made our way toward the iron gates.

"What did you do to Dimitri, anyway?" I tried to sound casual, but the crack of my voice betrayed me. Surely, I had a perfect excuse to have my voice that way. I've been through a lot, you know, what with Dimitri being compelled to do stupid things and Drake dragging me around.

Drake had his hand against my back, leading me toward a grand-looking manor. "I simply apprehended him so that he could not follow us." He said in that same old bored tone.

I nodded. Apprehended sounded better than I thought. "I'm glad you didn't kill him," I said, sounding relieved too. I couldn't stop thinking about Dimitri though. Even though he had tried to kill me, I was still protective of him and made me want to punch Drake's perfect nose if he did permanent damage to Dimitri.

Even though I wasn't looking at him, I could practically see that he was shaking his head. "I do not kill innocent people in cold blood. That man—Dimitri— was bewitched."

"Bewitched how?" I asked, looking up at him. It was my first time to notice that—aside from the gorgeous looks and golden locks he had—he had dark circles under his eyes. Freckles scattered freely across the bridge of his nose, making him look a little more youthful and innocent. It was kind of cute in a morbid sort of way.

"I didn't get the essence of _goety, _but I could feel that a taboo has been broken to bend his will." Drake said thoughtfully. _Goety_, I know, was another term for black magic.

The taboo was most likely to be the compulsion. Compulsion was a taboo and Moroi were restricted from using it to any other person—whoever and wherever.

We walked along the sidewalk toward the iron gate, and he pressed something, murmuring something against the speaker near the button. After he did that, the gate opened on its own accord, and we proceeded walking again.

"What language were you speaking back there?" I asked him, pointing back.

He looked down on me and answered. "Czech, of course."

So, that meant we were still in Czech Republic. I was worried that he'd brought me some place like Amsterdam or Alaska. I've never been there before.

"You speak every language to every country you go to?" I asked, slightly disbelieving. I mean, I was multi-lingual myself, but Drake surpassed the world-famous linguistics doctor, Jose Rizal. "English is not enough?" I added.

"As the son of a wyvern, I am required to converse in as much languages as possible. " He replied, his tone hinting a quarter of amusement.

I mumbled what sounded like "sucks to be you" and added, "Don't tell me you speak Russian, too." It was rhetorical, nonetheless.

But Drake, not getting my gist, answered. "Yes, I do speak the language. Quite fluently. And in fact, my papa is part Russian. His grandmother was conceived by a Russian mother and father, but they moved to Hungary because his grandfather's station was there."

"Your great-grandpa was like a soldier back then?" I should admit, I was a little curious about the dragon's background story.

He shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "No."

"Oh, what was he then?" I prompted.

"That was what's humorous. My great-grandmother was the wyvern of the green dragons while great-grandpapa was a black dragon. From then on, the two septs were merged as one, but still called with different sept names."** (A/N: in case you don't know, septs are the dragon teams; e.g. Green Dragons, Black Dragons, Silver Dragons, etc)**

I was a little confused, but I thanked him for the story. He gracefully waved the gratitude off, and gave me a reserved small smile for me. We stopped in front of the door. I waited for Drake to knock, but he didn't. He just waited patiently.

"Aren't you going to knock?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "No, we are waiting for Graceling to open the door for us." He replied casually.

"How can she know that we're here when we didn't even knock?"

"She will know. She gets premonitions."

"But what if she doesn't?"

He looked at me, an expression of annoyance not quite hidden on his face. "So far, she has not failed to open the door for me for the last fourteen years of her existence."

I let out an annoyed breath, and rolled my eyes. Not a minute too soon, we heard loud footsteps and a repeating chant of "I'm coming, I'm coming!" from inside. Not surprising me at all, Graceling opened the door with a huge smile on her face. Not giving me enough time to say hi, she pounced on me, hugging me until there was no more air on my lungs.

I patted her back. "Okay, kiddo. Lay off the lady, I can't breathe."

She pulled away and looked at my face, her expression so happy and relieved. She literally dragged me inside their home and talked my ears off. "Oh, _Roza_, I'm so glad you are safe. Come, come! I have prepared your room. And food! You cannot believe—"

I let the little girl rant on, when I looked at Drake, standing just near the door frame, looking at me with a blank expression and hooded eyes. I couldn't believe that I'd do this, but I told him thank you. Or rather, _mouthed_ thank you.

Hey, the guy practically saved my life. Didn't he deserve at least that?

Drake responded by disappearing into the other side of the room.

I don't know what I did to let him dislike me this much.

When we arrived to my guest room (which, in my opinion, was too flashy for a guest room), I turned to look at Graceling and asked, "Do you speak Czech?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes! A little, but yes!"

"Well, I need your help translating this one for me."

She jumped up and down. "Really? You're letting me help?"

"Of course, that's what you're here for, isn't it?" I said, but thought twice about it. I don't know, but it seemed like the book was inappropriate for a girl her age. I wasn't about to let some girl read something so horrible. But her squeals, jumps, and utter ecstasy held my declination back. She was just too happy and adorable.

And I_ cannot_ believe I just said adorable.

"Yes!" she jumped up so high she nearly hit the ceiling. When she recovered, she offered to tour me around the manor. I wasn't able to resist. I shot a longing glance on the bed before she dragged me off the room. Throughout the tour, I wasn't able to see Drake, and I couldn't feel anyone following too. It was quite a relief.

***Hours Later***

Having dinner with the Vireos at eight in the evening was a little awkward. Graceling and her mother, Valerie, was always chatting around about some supernatural things and sept problems, while both Drakes were quiet—softly responding to the questions if asked. But it wasn't that the men—or rather, dragons—weren't talking, it was the fact that Drake kept shooting me glances from across the table. Whenever I catch him doing so, his body would turn rigid and he'd look away.

He could make an anti-Rose Hathaway facebook page, for all I care.

"Rose, I've heard that the queen has officially announced a death sentence for you," Valerie blurted, and then covered her mouth while she turned an unappealing shade of red. "Oh, darling, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound so harsh." She apologized, and I saw Drake Sr. put his hand on top of Valerie's.

I shook my head and laughed. "It's okay. You don't really need to sugar-coat everything for me." I reassured her, but she still looked upset. "It's true that I'm going to be executed whenever I'm in line of sight of every Moroi and dhampir," I announced more casually than I would have liked. "But now that you're giving me a place to stay—which I am very grateful for—I just want to know how to rid myself of this proscription." And investigate that massacre.

Valerie's eyes brightened. "Of course, we will help you with that. First, you need to know—"

"Mama, let us not talk about that in front of our food." Drake interrupted her.

Valerie gasped, but knew her son was right. We shouldn't be talking about those kind of things in front of the food. My sensei taught me better. "My apologies. We will talk about that later, Rose. After dinner."

For a moment, I looked at Drake, resenting his interruption, but when I realized that he was just doing that out of table etiquette, I let it go.

After dinner, we settled in the living room area where seats and spaces were abundant. I took a seat on a normal armchair while Drake Sr. and Valerie sat together on a loveseat. I thought they would have cuddled each other, the way they were shooting looks on the dinner table, but they were more than a little subtle about showing their affection. Despite the lack of intimacy on their position, it gave me a signal that he and Valerie really loved each other. The way Drake Sr.'s arm draped at the back of the seat signaled protectiveness towards his mate.

Graceling lounged with her annoying brother on a very comfortable-looking couch. Graceling was all smiles, still chewing on whatever she had for dessert, and Drake continued looking like a very sulky, very bored teenager. He looked a little older than the average teen, but he sure looked young enough to be mistaken as one. If I recall correctly, Drake was nearly _seventy_ years-old.

Valerie spoke first. "So, Rose, first you want to do is know the origin of your proscription. You have to know why you've been proscribed. Me, I was proscribed because I have used dark magic and tainted my once-pure soul. Tell me about yours, so I can narrow down cures."

_Cure. I think there was no such thing as cure to a damned soul, _I thought silently.

"I think I've been proscribed because I've been abusing my powers. My powers were in-born, and I used them to avenge my mother's death, but I swear I only killed the Strigoi, and no innocent people were harmed." Really? Not one innocent soul? "Well, maybe I harmed some, but it was just once when I felt spiteful. I also had a dream once about that Greek goddess Athena. She said something about temptation being my fatal flaw." I told Valerie, and she had an unreadable look on her face.

She nodded. "That's good. The Goddess of War and Wisdom has decided to help you. That means you have her guidance. You may have a bigger chance at redemption." She rubbed her chin while she looked back at her husband, a silent conversation going on between them.

"_Roza, _why exactly are you here in the Czech Republic?" asked Graceling.

I bit my lip for a moment and answered. "My sensei—or Shoji, whatever—told me that I would travel through water across the Goddess' womb and I will cross paths with the one who has my answers. And that he told me to go where one of my jewelry boxes originated. Specifically, the Czech Republic."

Everyone's ears perked up at the mention of the jewelry box. Geez, dragons. Couldn't resist a little gold here, and a bit of gold there.

"What jewelry box is this?" asked Valerie.

"Um, it was my mother's, I think. And it had nothing inside before, but when I started using my powers on my schoolmates, I broke it, and then saw a paper inside of it." I recalled that time when I also read that mysterious message in a bottle. "It said _'You are proscribed. Seek thee confidant_.'"

Valerie's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, that is the Carigmatus box."

My brows rose. "What does it do?"

"Basically, it's a tool used to identify bad karma, _goety_, and others. There are lots of them all over the world, but only few are now left. Last time I've seen one was nearly a century ago." explained Valerie, and glanced at her husband. She put a hand on her husband's lap. "It was Drake's, but it was stolen from him. It's unheard of that Drake could be a victim of theft, since he _is_ the best thief I've ever known."

I looked at Drake Sr. His eyes were expressionless as well as his face. I got the feeling that he didn't dislike me as much as his son did, which was a good sign.

"So, Sir, where did you get this box from?" I asked him.

He frowned for a while as he thought. "I have gotten that box centuries ago, and I couldn't resist treasures, no matter who it came from. This one, I particularly remember. That box was given to me by the creator of the Carigmatus box. A witch just from here." He responded coolly. He was politer to me than his son.

"Another one of your women?" Valerie asked Drake Sr., poking him on his arm. He didn't respond to that but just looked deep into Valerie's eyes.

"Do you have a name?" I asked hopefully.

He looked back at me, his eyes cool and green. "Why, yes. Her name was…" he pondered for a moment, a longer moment than I have expected. "Sofyana Nováčková, if I recall correctly. I tend to forget the women from my past."

That was a name I recognized. It couldn't be a coincidence that I've found her diary in the ruins, right? Or, maybe a diary I assumed as hers?

"You know her?" Graceling asked, perking up when she noticed me tense up.

I nodded robotically. "I was investigating something in the ruins back at Blansko, when I stumbled upon this thing." I showed them the ancient notebook.

Graceling reached out for the book and cautiously gave it to her. She opened the first page and squinted, and then pointed at something, showing it to Drake. Drake murmured something inaudible, and Graceling nodded.

"Personal property of Sofyana Nováčková." She read loudly, pronouncing the last name as no-vach-ko-vah.

As I thought, it was too much of a coincidence. This Sofyana witch might be the one who can give me the answers_._ Assuming she was not a she anymore, but an _it_. It basically meant that she was no longer human, and not classified as male or female hence, a neuter.

"So, how can we contact her? This witch?" I asked them.

Drake Sr. shook his head. "It is impossible. She is—and has been—dead for over two centuries. Burnt at stake just like in the middle ages."

My heart dropped at this news.

Valerie let out a displeased noise. "Drake, sweetie, you're too much of a pessimist. It is not impossible to contact this Sofyana woman. Pegging that she may be a demon, we can just summon her. We have one of her personal belongings now." She smiled sweetly at her husband.

A growl erupted from both male dragons. Drake Sr. clutched Valerie's hand with an intense look on his face. "You do not summon anyone or anything that can harm you _and _Graceling."

I think I already know where Drake had gotten his over-bearing attitude. I looked at Drake, and saw that he too was growling, looking very unhappy.

"I will not allow such blasphemy enter our home. I have tolerated this woman here—l" To make it more dramatic, he pointed at me. I growled, not liking the way he gestured at me. "—but I certainly am not—" Drake stopped his speech when his mother sent him a piercing glare that could freeze his balls off.

"Drake, when have I told you to talk back to me?" Valerie asked sounding very irritated. "Rose is our guest, and we should treat her like one and not—" There was a drastic change in their language. Unfortunately, one that I couldn't understand.

"Uh, hey, it's okay—" I tried to cut in, but I felt a hand against my arm. I looked at Graceling questioningly.

"It's unnecessary, _Roza_." It was weird how she kept calling me that and not Rose. Only Dimitri called me Roza. "It is very normal for them to argue about these things. They even argue about very trivial things like two year-olds. But eventually, it will stop and mama will get what she wants. She always wins all family arguments." She reassured me.

Geez, if Valerie didn't look like she could rip their throats off any minute, I would have found this funny.

Drake looked at me with pure and unbridled fury. I just smiled at him sweetly. Surprising me completely, Drake's cheeks and neck and the whole face turned bright red. Hmmm, interesting.

Eventually, the argument stopped, and Drake Sr. compromised with Valerie.

"Okay, you will summon the demon, but not in my house." He said forcefully.

Valerie let out a cheeky smile. "That's what the basement is for, eh?"

Drake Sr.'s nose flared and smoke curled out of his nostrils. "I meant, not under this roof."

Valerie kissed the tip of her husband's nose lovingly as if nothing had just happened. "You can't take it back now, sweetie. The basement is my territory, right?"

He gave up, and visibly slumped. "Fine, but I want you to know that I am doing this against my better judgment. I just want you all to be safe." He grumbled.

"Aw, sweetie, you don't have to take care of us all the time." She hugged him.

I didn't miss Drake's scowl sent my way. I blew him a kiss, just to raise anger.

***Later that same night***

After a brief discussion about the context of the diary from Graceling, we went down to the basement. Apparently, Valerie could hold her own ground against an angry dragon when she claimed the basement as her own. I was in awe at her bravery at how she handled the two Drakes. They were both unbearably over-protective and stubborn. They would have just blown my lid off when I'd argue with those male dragons.

Sofyana—the demon witch—had been Drake Sr.'s lover back in the early eighties, and their moments together were very visual in the diary. Valerie wasn't very happy hearing about that, but she flipped it off, and we delved deeper into more important topics like how she became a demon. Sofyana has been raised by a family of Christians, but in a sick turn of events, she became fascinated with the devil and began worshipping it. She also gained powers through it by bargaining her soul. She gave a very thorough description of her addiction with death and demons.

To say that her parents were horrified at what she had done was an oversimplification. From the looks Graceling had when she described the detailed exorcism of Sofyana, she was clearly disturbed by the sort of actions that took place next. Sofyana barely survived from the exorcism her own father had performed. He ignored his own daughters' pleas to stop the painful experience of the exorcism, but in her father's driven faith, he thought it was the devil talking and not his daughter.

To make the long story short, Sofyana was burnt at stake because she was known to be one of the four witches of their town. It wasn't written in the diary, but Graceling's father was there to witness what happened to Sofyana's unfortunate end.

The Carigmatus box was only mentioned twice in the diary. It stated there that Sofyana really did give Drake Sr. one personally as a keepsake. And the other one was when she created them by accident. Not in that order, but you get it.

We were preparing everything in the basement for the summoning of Sofyana Nováčková. Nobody disturbed us, and it was all unusually quiet. Graceling was drawing the protective circle, and I put the heavy metal chair in the middle of it, where our demon would be nicely seated.

Valerie surrounded the place with candles and behind us was an alight fireplace. Fire wasn't a really great threat to demons, but it was when the captors had something that belonged to them. Such personal belongings were their only lifeline in the living world and without them, they had no hope in setting grounds on Earth again, leaving them rotting forever in hell.

And from what I've hears, hell wasn't a fun place to live in. Even for demons.

"Ready?" asked Valerie as she held a huge dog-eared book.

Graceling and I nodded, and she started reading the incantations in the book seamlessly. I held the diary tight in my hands, afraid that it might fly somewhere god knows where.

Ten minutes passed and Valerie seemed agitated when the demon didn't appear.

She huffed and flipped the book shut, closed her eyes and held her hand as if she was preaching.

She memorized the incantations and said it out loud, with more force and determination this time.

I felt the air pressing in me now. I felt like I was choking in the air around me. It felt like it was too crowded. I felt claustrophobic, and my vision started darkening, and random black dots appeared in my vision. I didn't miss at how the way the candles around us moved, even though there wasn't any breeze that passed. Somewhere in my brain, I knew that the summoning had worked.

I was feeling a little nauseous the door toward the ground floor slammed shut, and the candles dowsed, leaving the place completely dark. The only source of light was from the fireplace behind us.

It was enough light to show us that a woman had occupied the seat in the middle of the protective circle.

Eyes engulfed in glittering black closed, opening with a new color of what seemingly looked like unfiltered blue eyes. Her honey hair flooded a face so beautiful in lustrous and thick waves. Those long and beautiful legs were sprawled in front of her carelessly; giving an air of assurance and arrogance that was quite familiar to me now. Her clothing barely hid her striking appeal, and her hands gracefully stroked her swan neck.

Despite her apparent blinding beauty, she had the hugest and unhappiest scowl on her face.

"Sofyana, welcome to the world of the living." Valerie greeted casually.

Sofyana hissed. "This better be good."

* * *

**Cliffie! I was just about to write the whole convo with Sofyana, but the next chapter would be too short, so I'm updating it on another chapter.**

**So, what do you think about Sofyana? What will she say? Truths? Half-truths? Lies? After all, she is a demon; can you really believe everything she says? That is up to our heroine to make the choice. & What do you think will happen in the next chapter? You can suggest, and who knows? Maybe I'll write it up too!  
**

**xoxo,**

**Katya**


	46. If You're Damned In Love

**I'm going to use the pronoun **_**it**_** for Sofyana since she is a demon, and therefore, genderless. But if I use **_**her **_**or **_**she**_**, don't mind it. It's quite depressing to call a beautiful once-woman **_**it**_**.**

**A few days ago, I had a status in Facebook saying: "A writer's block and a migraine. What more can I possibly suffer from?" Many people liked it. I don't know why people enjoy my pain and writer's block this way. The world is cruel, people, I tell ya! The world is CRUEL! LMFAO**

**Anyway, I wanted to ask if anybody ever enjoyed my last chapter. There were hardly any reviews and I'm afraid that you have lost interest in this story. But to miss jenny and VampireFreak, thanks for the reviews! You keep me going!**

**Disclaimer: The VA characters belong to Richelle Mead. Drake Sr. belongs to Katie MacAlister, and the rest of the characters are originally made by me. And note that there were no animals harmed in the making of this story. I don't want PETA to be pissed off at me.**

* * *

**Chapter Forty-three**

**If You're Damned In Love**

"Demon—" I didn't even have a chance to say at least two words before the demon cut me off.

"Please, call me Sofyana, darling. Certainly, I feel like I've known you all my life, _Roza_." Her voice, once sweet and regal with her native lilt, turned much deeper—imitating a voice that I knew all too well. It was Dimitri's voice. I didn't miss how the way her eyes flashed black and then back to blue again when she took me in.

I didn't show my fear. I also obliged her to what she said. It wasn't prudent to anger a demon, much more a demon witch like Sofyana. No matter how much of an advantage I had on her, it still didn't change the fact that she was a demon—heartless and merciless. Besides that, I wanted the demon to cooperate with me too. Fear wasn't a good enough motivator for this demon. I knew—from what I've learned from her diary—that she liked some material things in return. I already made sure that I had something to give the demon before I send her back to hell. Tit for tat.

"Alright Sofyana," I could sense Graceling and Valerie's approval at my "accommodating" manner. "I'm going to ask you questions, and I expect you to answer them as honestly as you can."

The demon yawned. "Darling, I'm a demon, not a bona fide preacher."

I knew this was going to be difficult. "Yet, I still hope that you will answer the truth, and nothing but the truth."

Sofyana laughed at what I just said. "I thought this was a basement, not a courthouse."

My temper spiked. "If you want to do this the hard way, fine. If you want to do this the painless and easiest way possible, you will stop being such a stubborn demon and just cooperate."

The demon was obviously very flexible (maybe that, or she recently had her bones broken) because she stretched in her seat like a graceful writhing cobra on its hunt. After impatiently watching her stretching show to be over, she leaned back on her seat and crossed her legs, trying to find a comfortable position on the chair it was bound to.

"Was that a threat?" Sofyana asked.

I didn't let it see my fist clench. "No, I was merely stating a fact."

With that said, the demon smiled. It wasn't a cruel I'm-going-to-kill-you-in-a-blink-of-an-eye kind of grin, but it was surprisingly genuine one that gave the faintest hint of compliance and amusement.

"Very well, get on with the Spanish Inquisition." She—I mean, _it_ said.

I mentally sighed in relief. I wasn't absolutely ready to threaten her with everything I had, and I really didn't have the heart to do it at all. This day has been so draining—both physically and emotionally.

"What is this?" I showed her the ordinary-looking jewelry box. This particular jewelry box just gave a new meaning to "looks can be deceiving."

Even though she suppressed her reaction, I could still see that she was surprised to see the Carigmatus box. "That is one of the ancient oracle boxes I made during the 1800s. I named it after my ex-lover, Renaldo Carigmatus. I loved him with all my heart and soul, but he just abandoned me, leaving me stressing over his burdening fortune-telling about my unfortunate demise." Her words seemed truly genuine and I had a hard time looking for signs of deception. There was only that very small twitch in her eye that told me she was holding something back. An emotional leakage, they might call it.

A little spark of shock and sadness went through me for her. Shock because I didn't know that Sofyana—a witch who worshipped the devil—could love anybody with that much magnitude. Sadness because I knew how it felt to be left behind by someone whom you thought cared about you. I mentally shook my head, and continued the interrogation.

"I gave the first Carigmatus box to my next lover. A dragon whose name I failed to ask." The demon's eyes misted over as nostalgia swept through it. Now, I was starting to doubt if the demon really had emotions or none. She was a bit too…_absorbed _by her past. "His advances toward me helped me realize that there was still life after heartache for me."

I could physically feel the room heating around us. I could only imagine Valerie glaring at her.

The demon was oblivious to that though. "That is why I gave him my first Carigmatus box. The original one." She gestured towards the box I was holding. "That's exactly the one I gave him." she said a matter-of-factly and so casually, she didn't even know how much this changed things. "Why do you have it, anyway?"

I could feel gazes boring into my skin. "I don't know," I said so softly, I doubted anyone could hear me. I looked down at the box, my finger hesitantly tracing the light chain of platinum and white gold on the edges.

"But the box is useless now. It looks like it has served its purpose. The person who has read the black prophetic note inside has to be as good as dead."

I cringed at her words. "Why do you say that?"

She shrugged her elegant shoulders. "Bad karma kills, darling. Not only does it kill, but it slowly and painfully absorbs the light out of you. Normally, the bad karma is only feasible for the inhuman—you know, the witches, vampires. The chance of a human being proscribed is very thin unless they do something _really _bad to destroy the balance of the world. Like me, I worshipped the devil and gained my powers through it, and I died a drastic and painful death. When I was sentenced to burn at stake, I had no powers anymore, didn't even have the will to fight back. If I did, I would still be alive and well today. But the proscription had destroyed me—it completely absorbed my powers, leaving me with nothing."

Hearing this made me jump with restlessness.

Sofyana looked up at me, understanding glinting in her eyes. "_You_ should do something about it, dear. If you want to get rid of it, you need to find powers to replace the ones you have lost and fight away the death and evil that is coming for you. The journey may not be simple, but it is hardly impossible." She paused, shifting in her seat. She lifted a hand to her head and tapped a finger against her forehead. "You only need your presence of mind. Do not let the sense of failure drown you—it's sick and fills you with fear. Be very aware of your surroundings too, you not only have enemies, but also a savior and an ally that will be with you through thick and thin."

What she said a little while ago was just an elaboration of the note inside the Carigmatus box. Also, I had a feeling that she wasn't telling me the whole truth. I'd get it out of her later, I thought.

I looked down, thinking for more questions. "Two years ago, in your home—the castle ruins in Blansko—a massacre happened. Do you have any idea who—" I stopped at the furious shaking of her head.

"I know about that, but I don't know the people who did it. I was in the room while it happened. I still have a lifeline to that palace, and sometimes, when I'm lucky, I get to go there without getting caught. That one time, I was forcibly pulled there as if someone summoned me, but there was no one who did. And then I heard the screams." A very small, almost unidentifiable, shudder went through her. "The sounds of the screams and cries reminded me of hell. I was furious at whoever was causing them and I tried to get out of the room."

I leaned toward her, a little too eager. "Did you see the people who did them?"

Her eyes shone black as she looked at me. "No. But one thing I know, they weren't human."

"How many were they? The killers?"

"Two. A man and a woman. They were laughing and rejoicing like it was New Year's Eve."

"Do you have any clues as to who they were?"

"They definitely weren't Slavic or English. I didn't understand their language. Their victims were assorted. Some spoke Czech, some Latin, and then most were Russian and English."

"Did you know where the bodies were dumped?"

Sofyana closed her eyes as if she was thinking about it, and then shook her head. "I have no idea where those animals put them. All I know is that they left my home with blood marks of the macabre past."

I nodded. Having the demon cooperate so much was almost too good to be true. The demon was very still, didn't even blink for about a minute or two.

"Any other questions, dear?" her voice was hoarse, so unlike the sexy throaty purr before.

"Yes, I still have a couple more."

"Then hurry, ask me. I don't want to be gone there at the place down under for too long. They're going to flay my skin again and again if they know that I'm not there."

I suppressed a shudder at the mental image of skin being flayed. Definitely, I wasn't going to hell without a fight. I wasn't really sure about my end though.

"Do you know about the Slayer?"

"Of course. The Slayer was just a legend—no, I meant a being contrived through a prophecy. Renaldo,"—her face darkened at the mention of her ex-lover—"was the so-called prophet. He said that the Slayer—a woman of several inborn skills—would cause the end of the world. I hung on every word he said, and I could remember it as clear as day. It was the morning after we first made love when he told me about the Slayer. He said that the Slayer was conceived by a once-pure soul and a tainted one. It is written in stone that she will be proscribed in the most inconvenient time. The proscription has a cure—two cures, actually. One cure is that she fights off the evil that is her enemy—and also herself. It may sound easy, but it will not be. There will be an internal conflict, and it will be very hard to choose the right path when one is confused. The other cure is that she succumbs to the evil—to just give up."

I absorbed the information greedily. "If she succumbs to the evil, will she turn into a demon?"

The demon laughed. I didn't think anything was funny. Then again, this was about my misfortune, so it shouldn't be funny for me at all.

"No, she will be tainted, just like her father." The demon said it so simply like it was nothing. Sofyana just said that I was going to turn Strigoi if I'd succumb to evil.

I was suddenly assaulted by warring emotions of rage and fury. I wasn't about to become a Strigoi without a fight. I _am not_ going to turn Strigoi at all. All my life, I'd been fighting and killing creatures like them, and I was going to turn myself into them? No way.

"And when she becomes tainted, then she will resume her destiny and destroy the whole world with her new and improved powers."

I was definitely not about to destroy the world. I'd rather die first than kill an innocent person. I tried to keep my emotions out of my face, but failed miserably.

My hands involuntarily tightened on the book I was holding. Without my unnatural strength, I wasn't able to ruin it, but it left a mark. Sofyana's eyes tightened as she looked at the diary.

"This Renaldo, what was he?"

When she looked up at me, her eyes held an unpleasant look to them.

"Renaldo was the talk of the Vatican. He was a very good preacher—a very known one too. He also had capabilities to tell the future. The people believed that he was a prophet, but I knew better. We fell in love, typical. We were happy, but then a day came when he had to go back to Rome. That was when he told me about my dreadful future. He promised to come back before two months, and that he'd help me about it but little did I know that he was running away from me. I waited for him for two months…and then two months became three…and four." Her eyes were glazed and nostalgic. Consciously, she touched her abdomen like she expected something to be there. "I didn't know that I was with child too. His child. I may have been a witch, but I was truly faithful to him and bedded no other man after he left. I assumed that he had foreseen my pregnancy and since he was a preacher, maybe he was embarrassed of what he did and didn't want to do anything about the babe." She swallowed, and blinked, her eyes taking again that common cold and heartless gaze that all demons had.

"I tried my hardest to keep the babe safe, but in those times, nothing was safe. I did something to hurt the babe. The babe was the only thing I had left, and I lost it. After that, I met that dragon. He had been very kind to me and I rewarded him of his kindness with my first Carigmatus box. He had also been an excellent lover; he almost made me forget about Renaldo and the babe I lost."

The air around me stirred with heat and I could only imagine Valerie's ears steaming.

I was surprised to feel wetness brim on my eyes and I wiped it away quickly. _Crying is for little girls_, I chided at myself. _And nobody wants to see the infamous tears of blood of the proscribed_, I added internally.

She continued her story. "A month later when I lost the babe, I heard whispers about Renaldo. He had been caught killing animals in cold blood by the villagers. He was condemned as a Satanist and was immediately exiled from his profession and was beheaded. I should have known that his love for me was as fake as his powers too. He was a haruspex. He killed and sacrificed animals for his divination abilities."

Her hands clenched and unclenched, but her expression stayed the same—the cold and cruel mask of beauty.

"He may have left and betrayed my trust, but I still cared for him deeply." Sofyana looked away, biting her lip hard. Right then, I knew that demons weren't all callous and heartless creatures like all people portrayed them. Sofyana has been a demon for over a century, but the glimpses of those memories that resurfaced hurt her deeply. I know that just by looking at her face. And based from her actions, she _still_ loved Renaldo.

Love was really fucked up. And I understood her, kind of. I hadn't been in love before, but what I felt for Dimitri was definitely not paternal love. As much as I hated to admit it, he had always given me butterflies and made me nervous. He made me feel good about myself. But other men? Eh, not so much.

Although words cannot express what I felt about Dimitri, I knew deep down inside that this was just no ordinary love that I felt for him. It was definitely something else, and it scared me—it _scares_ me. To think that I was in love amidst of all this chaos was very bothersome. Being just that was making me ridiculously clumsy, forgetful and very deluded.

When Valerie said the parting ritual, Sofyana—with unusually soulful eyes—said, "I suggest that you pick up you pace, Rose. The proscription isn't staying that long. It needs to upgrade, just like everyone and everything. Your last night will be when the moon is full."

Something inside me clenched suddenly at her words. The Winchester brothers were right. They had said that the so-called deadline of the proscription would be on a full moon. I had exactly three days left.

When we were finally done in the basement, I thanked the Vireos and dragged myself to the guest room where I would be staying. I stayed on the cold bed, tossing and turning. I didn't know what to do, but was equally restless. For about an hour, I awake just looking at the pale moon on the bedroom window. It was lacking a quarter of its part, and it was nearly full, but not just yet.

I threw the covers off me and made a sporadic decision to get out of the room…or just go anywhere without being able to see the moon. A minute or so of blindly walking later, I arrived in the kitchen. The kitchen was flooded with light, and it looked pretty normal for a house this big and extravagant.

On the marble top of an island, was a glass of milk with one piece of chocolate glazed donuts.

Involuntarily, my stomach growled. If I was in the mood, I would have rolled my eyes at my stomach's request. I had just eaten a while ago, and now, it is demanding for more. Nice.

"Rose,"

I turned, startled at the presence I didn't know that was there, and saw Drake standing at the corner of the kitchen, holding an empty glass container. He placed it inside a cupboard and walked towards me.

Drake, instead of getting in front of my face like I expected him to, sat down on the island and patted the seat next to him. Whoa. What happened to him?

He seemed almost…kind. Yeah, right.

"We need to talk." He announced.

I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my foot impatiently. "Then talk,"

And talk he did.

* * *

**What do you think is Rose and Drake going to talk about? The next chapter will clarify ALL things about Drake and Rose. I just couldn't put it here yet, since I haven't written it. And I'm sorry if this chapter sucks. I still have a heavy writer's block, and I'm kind of feverish today, but this is no dam* excuse. I just hope this chapter would satisfy you. Ask away in a PM or review. I will reply as soon as possible.**

**Have fun for the weekend :D**

**xoxo,**

**Katya**


	47. AN: Just A Note

**TO ALL MY FANFICTION READERS:**

**I don't know when I will be able to update again, but it will be...soon. It's painful to hear this, I know (*laughs* you probably want to kill me right now), but from DDG, I have insufficient questions to be asked so feel free to PM me and ask what you want to ask our dragon, Drake. And as for WLS, ch. 25 is almost done, but I need to read and edit again.**

**Sincerely,**  
**ZMEYETTE**


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